


A Game of Cat and Crow

by TheLastMarigold



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Drug Use, Gay, Got Nothing Better to do than Tattoos, Guns, Hinata needs to stop being a sunshine, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Knives, Kuroo is a slut with money, Lots of pairings, M/M, Modern AU, Past Abuse, References to Old Abuse, Some References to Sad Things, Suga is the sexiest secretary, Tanaka is the only straight one there, Who doesn't like some cursing, Yakuza AU, alcohol use, kageyama needs a hug, non-major character death
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-24
Updated: 2017-10-05
Packaged: 2018-09-02 00:27:16
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 38,164
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8644228
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheLastMarigold/pseuds/TheLastMarigold
Summary: Kageyama Tobio, heir to one of the most notorious companies in Tokyo finds himself stuck in the middle of a vicious turf war between the major sectors of yakuza who roam the city and little does he realize, he's the most important pawn in the game. Everyone wants him, the Kurasuno Company, Nekoma Enterprises and Sejoh Inc. and when he finally makes a decision, his life takes a turn he never expected.





	1. Chapter 1

The night wavered with an uneven energy, the quiet seemingly drowned out except for the humming silence of his own mind, but he shoved his hands in his pockets and further shoved the feeling down. The few lamplights that illuminated the greying street flickered on and off violently as if they were nothing more than candles. His breath created a little cloud in the cooling September night and off in the distance he could hear the occasional stray gunshot and the chatter of people in restaurants.  
  
Kageyama pulled the neckline of his coat higher, trying to hide himself in the folds of its fabric and stalked further into the night, passing alleyway after alleyway, person after person, muttering under his breath. He was close now, he was sure of it.  
  
After nearly getting into a fight with an older homeless man, twenty-two year old Kageyama stumbled into the very building he was looking for.  
  
The skyscraper office pierced the nighttime skyline, dulling the usual effervescence of the stars with its too bright white lights. The front door was locked but that was to be expected at ten at night. He stood in the doorway as an eerie figure for a moment, a ghost looking towards the light, illuminating his thinning face as he stared at the pristinely white tiles paving their way to the front desk.  
  
After a moment he turned and sighed, walking around the front of the building to its side alley. This one was darker than most, the absence of light seemingly swirling around on its own, forcing Kageyama to blink several times to make it go away and he clutched the brick of the building until the sudden nausea dissipated. He could see the faint glow of a cracked door at the end of the abandoned alley and the voices drifting leisurely from it. With less caution than he should have had, he stepped towards it.  
  
Unexpectedly he was knocked to the ground, the air escaping from his lungs as he attempted to arch and push his attacker off of him. He struggled but it was no use and the weight of other person forced him to stay still with his face pressed into the biting pavement. “Wasn’t very smart of you to wander here this late at night,” said the attacker, leaning close to Kageyama’s ear. His breath smelled faintly of alcohol and his voice was gruff and low like a starving bulldog.  
  
Kageyama attempted to shift to see the face of who was talking but it was no use. “Look, I’m was told to find a man by the name of Daichi Sawamura. Supposedly he has what I’m looking for.”  
  
The man chuckled, pulling back and shifting to a more comfortable position, his knees buried in the soft flesh of Kageyama’s forearms, causing them to pinch uncomfortably under the jacket. He groaned in pain but the man took no notice. “I can’t imagine what a scraggly looser would want from a man like him. Besides he’s not taking visitors at the moment.”  
  
He could hear the man sitting on him pull something that sounded like paper out of his pocket and then a moment later the flick of a lighter. A sweet tobacco scent filled the air and he felt his attacker relax ever so slightly. Kageyama shifted suddenly, putting the man off balance enough to turn and take a look at him before his face was shoved back into the concrete by a calloused hand. The stranger ground his face into the concrete and leaned in close to his ear. The plume of smoke he exhaled burned Kageyama’s lungs and made his eyes water but he still tried to stay calm. This wasn’t his first street fight. “Trying to pull a move on me? I won’t hesitate to break your neck next time.”  
  
Kageyama swallowed roughly before speaking. “I’m looking…”  
  
The attacker raised one thin grey eyebrow and pressed one thumb in the side of Kageyama’s sweaty neck, right below his jawline. He made a low questioning sound in his throat.  
  
“I just need to buy-“  
  
“Tanaka! What the hell are you doing?” called a voice from in front of them. Kageyama strained his eyes to see whoever just came out of the cracked door but all he could make out was the lanky silhouette of a man. Whoever it was, he was not amused with Tanaka’s attack.  
  
“I didn’t do anything wrong this time. This punk was staring inside the building and then started walking towards the back door like he owned the place! For all we know he could have been sent from Nekoma to kill me or heaven forbid from Sejōh-“  
  
“Shut up!” The voice commanded as the silhouette walked forward, every step audible in the empty alley. Kageyama could have sworn his attacker, (Tanaka was it?) shrink back slightly. The newcomer stopped a few centimeters from Kageyama’s face and tipped his chin up with his foot, making their eyes meet.  
  
He was expecting some burly man, some guy with thick arms and shifting tattoos, maybe a shaved head and a stupid goatee but the movies severely disappointed him. This man was nothing like that, and if you saw him walking on the street the first thing you would think is, “oh he’s pretty,” not, “shit, he could kill me.” The light from the open door glittered like a halo behind him and made his silver hair appear gold. The mole under his left eye didn’t make the color of his eyes any less piercing, the deep brown almost black in the lighting. He wore an open grey coat with large black buttons that went to his hips over a white dress shirt and a pair of freshly cleaned slacks. Even though this man wasn’t what Kageyama expected, he felt fear build in his aching chest. This is it, he thought, I’m fucked.  
  
“What are you doing at our office?” the man asked, making Kageyama’s chin lift higher when he didn’t answer fast enough, pulling an painful grunt from his chest.  
  
“I just need to buy something. I meant no harm.”  
  
The man let his face sink back to the concrete and turned to Tanaka. “Search him then make him stand.”  
  
Tanka’s cold hands slithered up and down his body, looking for any sort of weapon he could be hiding in his clothes. After deciding he was clear, Tanaka stood and yanked Kageyama up by his shirt collar, making him choke and almost keel over when he attempted to stand. Kageyama met the eyes of the silhouetted man once more, his gaze fixed forward by the strong hand on the back of his neck. Whoever this guy was, he was shorter than Kageyama but he knew it would be in his best interest to not underestimate him.  
  
The man in the grey coat cleared his throat and shoved his hands casually in his pants pockets. “What could you possibly want to buy from the Kurasuno Company this late at night? We sell exotic animals.”  
  
“I was told by Oikawa himself you sold other things here as well.” Kageyama attempted a glance as his attacker once more.  
  
The other man stepped forward and suddenly slapped him hard across the face, making Kageyama’s head snap to the side and a red handprint appear on his cheek. Now Tanaka looked a bit nervous. “Suga you didn’t-“  
  
The look Suga shot him could have been mistaken for first-degree murder easily. “You were talking to me. If you knew what was good for you, you’d never take your eyes off someone like me,” he said in a low voice, making sure to draw out the end of his sentence.  
  
Kageyama swallowed but stood his ground, attempting to push back his rising fear. God what had he gotten himself into this time? He spoke quietly and slowly to keep from angering Suga again, “I just want to buy opium. If you can’t offer me that than I’ll just turn and leave and forget I ever saw your face.”  
  
Suga’s face visibly softened, a relaxed smile growing on his face and Tanaka let Kageyama go, moving to step next to his boss. Tanaka was apparently a man also shorter than him, by only an inch or so but he slouched down like a monkey and leaned forward on the balls of his feet. He wore an ancient high school letterman’s jacket from the United States, he must have had it shipped especially for him, over a cream colored t-shirt. His jeans were tattered and full of holes, fraying on the bottom over cheep black sneakers. His face sat in a permanent snarl and the shaved head added to the bulldog feeling Kageyama got earlier. His earlobes adorned gigantic gauges with dragons engraved in them. “If you would have just told us you wanted to buy opium earlier we wouldn’t have been on your ass kid,” Tanaka said, giving a slight shrug.  
  
“Though I’ll admit it’s a strange way to acquire it from us. Most people meet up with Tanaka or Ni-“ he stopped and shook his head as if he almost said something he shouldn’t have, “during our open hours. Only idiots stalk the front door.” Suga’s smile was gentle and genuine and Kageyama was so close to turning and running far away but then another bought of nausea hit him and he fell against the side of the building.  
  
For a moment Tanaka and Suga’s words fell on deaf ears as they panicked slightly and reached for him. He pushed them off and righted himself, his vision blurry as he tried his best to actually focus on them. “Off,” he attempted but it came more like a groan.  
  
The two members of Kurasuno Company looked at each other expectedly, trying to find the answer of what to do from each other. They knew they both could leave him here in the alley, let him suffer until he either moved on or found what he was looking for but there was something that stirred in the both of them, something they had seen before. Tanaka stepped forward, his curled upper lip gone. “You’re part of the Kageyama family aren’t you? Tobio, the only son to the family fortune.”  
  
Kageyama just nodded and lurched again, this time his shoulder slamming into the brick before he slid to the ground rather gracelessly. Suga and Tanaka once again reached for him and this time Kageyama didn’t have the strength to refuse them. “Come on idiot. Come inside.” Tanaka said under his breath as he slid an arm around Kageyama’s waist. It was then he blacked out.

  


*************************************************************************************************************************************************** 

  


When Kageyama awoke finally, his head ached as if someone was trying to hammer their way out from inside his skull. His stomach was on fire and as he tossed and turned he couldn’t find a position that was comfortable and kept his face out of the blinding light above him. He groaned and eventually sat up, taking in the room around him.  
  
It was rather plain. A few futons scattered around the room here and there, all empty with covers nice and neat. There was a cabinet hanging from the tan wall and a sink/counter combination under that. In one corner stood a U.V. lamp and a small shelf covered in various sized plots and plants. They sat under the fake sunlight but they didn’t look too good, as if they hadn’t been watered in awhile. Besides those few things, the room was empty.  
  
Kageyama shifted and stood, still in his jeans and plain black shirt. His coat was folded in a neat pile next to him on the floor but he left it as he wobbled out of the room. The hallway was well lit, doors upon doors lining its walls and grey tile adoring the floor. He looked up and down it several times, unsure where to go and exactly what he was doing. After thinking on it for all of ten seconds, he wandered down the left part of the hallway. There must be a door to get him out of here somewhere.  
  
He stopped near the end of the hall, once again fighting the will to throw up his last meal and leaned against the wall. After he got his breathing under control, he noticed the voices coming from beyond the door in front of him.  
  
“You idiot. Do you know how much trouble we’re in now that you messed with Nekoma? We are already in trouble with them as it is,” said an unfamiliar voice. It was deep and reprimanding but even Kageyama could tell the slight exhaustion in it as well.  
  
“You know as well as I do they deserved it,” replied a gruffer voice. Tanaka. That asshole.  
  
“Doesn’t matter if they deserved it or not, they’re after you. What would I do if you got killed?”  
  
“Replace him,” piped up a voice that sounded strangely like Suga’s.  
  
“Funny Sugawara. You and I both know this company would tank without Tanaka.”  
  
The room behind the door grew quiet and Kageyama stifled a cough. He decided it would probably be best for him if he kept moving but the door slammed open and Tanaka stood in the hallway, chest puffed out and wearing the same stupid worn jacket he wore the last time. It was even worse in this lighting, the black fabric worn and patchy in some places and the orange lining covered in smears of different stains. The bulldog smirked at him. “Rise and shine beautiful. You’ve been out cold for a couple days.”  
  
Sugawara stepped out of the door behind him with an unreadable expression on his face. Kageyama couldn’t tell if it was a mix of anger or relief or pure pity painting his features but he eventually deterred it was probably all three. Today he wore a pressed grey suit that was only three shades lighter than the color of his hair. Suga cleared his throat and pushed Tanaka back inside the room. “We’ve been waiting for you. Come in.”  
  
Hesitantly Kageyama followed them inside. As strong as the feeling to run stirred in his gut, he knew he wasn’t strong enough to. If he did one of the two freaks he met a few nights ago would tackle him to the floor again and after all, he came here on a desperate mission.  
  
This room wasn’t as plain as the other one was. A large wooden desk sat in front of an even larger window on the other side of the room. Each wall was decorated with some sort of art though Kageyama’s brain was too tired to take in what the paintings actually were. The carpet under his feet was the same grey as the tile in the hallway and the walls were just a different shade of off white.  
  
Sitting in the large leather chair behind the desk was a man only a few years older than him with cruel smile. He leaned on his desk casually; his face resting on the back of his hand, staring at Kageyama’s every movement. Both Suga and Tanaka moved to stand behind him, framing the chair with their bodies, bringing Kageyama’s attention back to the man sitting in it. His sorrel hair was slicked back with gel and his black suit recently ironed. Despite this, his tie was still loose around his neck and slight bags surrounded his eyes. He was a man who could hold the power in a room regardless of whether he came well dressed or not. Kageyama took a couple steps forward and kneeled on the ground in front of the desk, lowering his head slightly.  
  
The man in the chair chuckled. ”These two made it seem like you had utterly no manners. You may stand Kageyama.”  
  
He did what he was told but slowly, careful not to send himself into another fit of nausea. “Hello sir,” he said as he bowed his head once more.  
  
“I didn’t say he had no manners, I said he was oblivious. Totally different,” defended Suga. The man in the chair waved him off and Suga moved to one of the other desks lining the walls of the room. Tanaka stayed where he was, his upper lip curled up again as if he were going to attack at any moment.  
  
“I have to admit, you are brave to walk into my territory and figure out how to get into our headquarters just to find opium. The door you met Tanaka at is the only door that leads to my office.” The man shifted in his chair, leaning back and crossing his arms over his chest.  
  
“So you’re Daichi Sawamura. I’ve heard a lot about you but I didn’t expect you to be the head of the Kurasano Company.” Kageyama shoved his hands in his pockets.  
  
“You flatter me. I’m only the head of the underground part of the company. Oh what’s the word for it? The underboss as some people call it. I’m partners with the head of the Ukai family.”  
  
Sugawara grunted and gave Daichi a look that said, “Why are you telling all of our secrets?”  
  
Daichi ignored him and turned to look at Tanaka. “Pour our guest a glass of sake will you? Excuse my lack of hospitality,” he addressed the last part to Kageyama.  
  
Tanaka obviously didn’t like how friendly Daichi was being with their “guest” but he didn’t say anything, moving to the cabinet with the liquor in it and finding the glass he needed. “I really don’t need-“  
  
“I insist,” Daichi interrupted, “You look parched. Actually you look like the undead but this is what I can do for you for now.”  
  
Tanaka handed over the small glass to Kageyama who whispered a, “thank you,” under his breath and bowed slightly before looking back to Daichi. He then noticed his reflection in the large glass window. His face was impossibly pale and his cheeks slightly sunken in. His once vibrant and calculating dark navy eyes were dull and tired, a ravenous need the only other expression on his face. His jet-black hair stuck up everywhere and was in a desperate need of a brush. Kageyama instinctively attempted to smooth down his hair and Daichi let out a laugh. “It’s a little too late to make good impressions isn’t it? Come on, drink and we’ll talk. Tanaka you can have some too.”  
  
The man’s face lit up and he moved back to the cabinet, shifting through the bottles and making them clank before he found the one he was looking for. Daichi once again shifted in his chair and leaned forward again, both elbows on the table with his hands laced between them. “Opium right? That’s what you came here for?”  
  
Kageyama nodded and Daichi moved his hand to give Suga a signal. Suga tossed a clear plastic bag filled with tiny green bulbs at Kageyama but honestly didn’t look amused about the whole ordeal. He caught it in one hand and Daichi smiled. “Fast reflexes. Now this is the most premium stuff I have, from my own personal stash. Consider it a gift almost. It’ll cost you a several thousand yen though.”  
  
Kageyama’s mouth went dry and even the coolness of the sake sliding down his throat didn’t make it any better. “A several thousand…”  
  
“You didn’t expect me to give it to you free did you? Especially since you’re the only son of the Kageyama family,” continued Daichi. Suddenly Kageyama realized what game they were playing.  
  
“If you know who I am then you’ve heard the news. I left the family estate. I am no longer heir to the family fortune.” He took a few steps forward, slowly, because just as he did Tanaka and Sugawara geared up for an attack. Both hands went up in the air passively as he stepped forward again until he was right in front of Daichi’s wooden desk. His eyes never broke contact with the head of the Kurasuno Company as he put the sake glass down on the wood, some liquid still shifting around in the bottom. “I don’t have the money for your ‘gift,” he added before placing the opium on the desk as well before stepping back carefully.  
  
A low noise came from Daichi’s throat as he looked Kageyama up and down, analyzing him. “Not everyone has the balls to deny me like that. I like you. I’ll tell you what, come work for me and I’ll supply your fix. Simple as that.”  
  
“Look, I don’t want to work for your underground company, I just want to get what I came here for an leave. And it that’s too hard, I can always find it somewhere else.” He shoved his hands back into his pockets and gave Daichi the best glare he could muster.  
  
“Last I knew you didn’t have much of a choice. We bought Tokonomi’s prefecture out last week for how much again Suga?”  
  
Sugawara moved to stand behind Daichi again, pretending to ponder for a moment. “A couple billion yen.”  
  
Daichi cracked his knuckles. “Ah, that’s right. So Kageyama, you have nowhere else to get what you’re looking for. Also I now know where you are. What keeps me from capturing you and returning you to your loving father?”  
  
“You wouldn’t dare,” Kageyama’s voice was thick with malice as his shoulders tightened. Tanaka and Sugawara kept glancing back and forth between him and Daichi for a signal but none came.  
  
“Have you seen the papers recently? He has a high ransom on your head and is more than willing to pay to get you back.”  
  
“You bought out another yakuza gang’s territory and you want my father’s money? How much more do you need?”  
  
Daichi’s calculating smile seemed to widen and he sat up again, his posture straighter than it had been before. Although he was the only man sitting down, it was as if he was looming over all of them. He was the biggest person in this room and every one knew it.  
  
“You see Kageyama, the Kurasuno Company, more specifically our reputation as one of Tokyo’s largest yakuza gangs, has declined over the years. They call us names like, “the flightless crows,” or “the fallen syndicate,” but little do they know Kurasuno is on a rise. Another check in the banks boosts our revenue and before long we can buy out more and more syndicates. Also do you realize how good it would look for us to have a paycheck for your father? I see the headlines, “The Kurasuno Company receives endorsement from the esteemed Kageyama family for returning lost son.” It would be the end of your family and the beginning of ours. So what is your choice? Work for me or go back to the father you hate so much?”  
  
Kageyama swallowed, digging his nails into his palms until he was sure they were close to bleeding and when he started shaking, he couldn’t tell if it was from anger or withdrawal. All three of them were staring at him, these crows more than willing to consume him if he took a wrong move. He took a deep breath, looks like he didn’t have an option.  
  
He stepped forward and bowed deeply. “Looks like I am at your mercy, Daichi Sawamura.”  
  
Daichi’s grin could not be contained as he stood up, pushing his leather chair back and bowed slightly in return. “Tanaka, refill his glass and bring me mine. ”  
  
The man moved in complete silence and was only gone a few seconds before Kageyama stood at the sound of another glass hitting the table. Daichi’s was much larger than his, the lip of the cup resembling a bowl more than an actual cup, blue roses intricately painted across the fine white ceramic. After both glasses were filled, Daichi lifted his carefully and gestured as if it were a toast, the sake almost overflowing from his cup. “You know how this works right?” he asked.  
  
Kageyama picked up his only half full glass and felt all three pairs of eyes on him and he continued to stare at Daichi’s cup, trying to ignore the anxiety building in his chest. “You drink first.”  
  
Daichi took a sip of his drink and Kageyama then followed his lead before both men placed their glasses on the table and grabbed the other one’s. They both took another sip of sake from each other’s glasses and set them back on the desk. Daichi’s amusement was blatant on his face but both Tanaka and Sugawara looked as nervous as Kageyama felt. Daichi leaned forward and gave a deep bow this time, Suga and Tanaka glancing at each other before following their boss’ lead. “Now that the initiation ceremony is over, welcome to the Kurasano Company. Pleasure doing business with you Tobio Kageyama.”


	2. Chapter 2

The wind carried the scent of salt water and sand with it, tugging his hair and weaving itself through his locks. The water glittered with a gentle finesse under the light of the rising October sun, its pale yellow rays visibly breaking through the clouds and washed grey blue sky to kiss the bay. The shore below bustled with people coming and going, locals preparing their boats to catch their next large paycheck before the chilling winter hit and it became even harder to capture the yellowtail and hirame fish they desperately needed to survive.  
  
No matter how many times he saw the beach on early mornings just like this one, Hinata couldn’t help but grin wildly at the serenity of it all. He raced down the concrete stairs that lead from the street to the sand, leaving his bike behind chained to the wooden fence along the side of the road, and rushed towards his father’s boat. As soon as he reached the bottom step, he pulled his worn sneakers off his feet, shoving his socks in them and then continuing on his way. Out of everything here, he loved the feeling of the sand between his toes, the cool coarseness of it unable to be replicated by anything else in this world.  
  
It was nearly eight in the morning when Hinata finally reached his father’s fishing boat. It wasn’t anything fancy, a boat that took years upon years of savings to even purchase and then even longer fix up. The sides were worn, the once white and smooth paint now chipping off to expose the hull to the harsh salty waves. The deck was long but thin, a small sun cover stretched from the cabin to the metal poles standing next to the lawn chairs nailed down mid-deck. His father, an elderly man with a slight hunch and now greying black hair, stood at the bow of the boat facing the dock, shifting fishing supplies about and making sure the net’s tethers were secure and lubricated to keep them from steaming when the line was pulled taught with the weight of their catch.  
  
“Morning Dad!” Hinata called from the dock, moving to put his shoes back on but his father didn’t answer him. “Morning Dad!” he called again, a little more insistent this time.  
  
His father stood up clearly startled, looking around disoriented until he noticed his son smiling up at him. Hinata’s father beamed and gave an identical grin. “I was beginning to think you slept in,” the old man teased, leaning forward again to check the bait box.  
  
Hinata wandered up the gangplank and stood right behind his father. “Well Natsu finally became a woman today. She was a little freaked out so I kind of had to help her before I left.”  
  
His father’s sandy brown eyes met Hinata’s wide with disbelief. His mouth gaped open like a captured fish for a moment before words came pouring out of them. “You mean she’s…”  
  
“Yup.”  
  
“She had her…”  
  
"Uhuh.”  
  
His father’s apprehensive look melted away to joy and a proud smile sat on his face, his yellowing teeth showing and his the corners of his eyes crinkling. “Well I’ll be. Look at my children becoming adults.”  
  
Hinata chuckled, running a hand through the back of his ginger hair. “Dad, I turned twenty- three a couple months ago. I’ve been an adult for awhile now.”  
  
“Huh. I guess you have.” He moved to sit down in his chair with a disgruntled groan. “I’m not as young as I used to be either. Shōyō, I meant to tell you, there is a new company looking to buy our fish. Could you go meet them where we usually sell our fish around ten thirty and strike a good deal? I would do it but I’m afraid a storm is coming in and my lower back is killing me.”  
  
"Are you going to go fishing by yourself then?” Hinata leaned casually on his chair, propping himself up with his arm as he stared at his father, memorizing the way his carefree attitude and gentle presence lit up his face. Every time Hinata looked in the mirror, he saw his father’s youth there and he hoped one day when he was this ancient he’d be able to still smile as gleefully as well.  
  
“Don’t worry. I can handle myself out on the bay. I’ve been doing this a lot longer than you have son. Now hurry up and make sure you’re not late. The Kurasuno Company has enough money to make us comfortable for the rest of our lives if you strike a good deal with them.” He waved dismissively and leaned back in his chair, closing his eyes for a moment.  
  
“Be home a little earlier today okay? I promised to take Natsu to the new sushi place in celebration tonight,” Hinata called from the dock, staring at the top of his father’s head at the bow of the boat. His father just nodded in reply. Hinata took of his sneakers once more and rushed back towards his bike.  
  
Part of him wished he looked nicer for such an important business trip. In a rush he’d simply thrown what was actually clean on, a pair of tight black jeans and a simple grey shirt under his black hoodie with bright yellow lining to fight off the chill from the water. He was pretty sure he didn’t even brush his ginger mop this morning but it was too late now. If he didn’t get a move on he would be late, the open air market where they sold their fish nearly a half hour away by bike.  
  
He reached the concrete steps and put his shoes back on, turning once more to catch a glimpse of his father’s boat receding from the dock, a spot of white getting lost into the sparkling blue ocean.

*************************************************************************************************************************************************

“Excited for your first mission?” asked Sugawara, bumping into Kageyama’s shoulder gently as they walked down the main street of the open-air market.  
  
“You have to be joking. This is hardly a first mission. It’s more like getting stuck doing stupid errands.” His shoulders hunched a little more forward, pulling the fabric of his new navy suit uncomfortably tight. “Also no one would wear a suit like this to an open-air market. We’re lucky we aren’t doing a stealth mission.”  
  
“You complain too much. This is more important than you think it is. I’ll admit, yellowtail and hirame fish aren’t particularly rare in this part of Japan but we need to find a new supplier that the government hasn’t targeted yet.” He pushed his wide rimmed sunglasses up; pulling back the few silver locks he lets sit on his forehead away from his eyes.  
  
Like this he looked a little more relaxed, a little more kind and a little less strung up. Kageyama learned quickly that Sugawara was two different people, the one who would push you to be the very best version of yourself with the kindest of smiles and the other one who wouldn’t hesitate to kill you if you threatened the Kurasuno Company and even worse, Daichi. Kageyama could deal with both sides of Suga just fine but it was when the second in command seemed to be both men and neither of them at once, he got worried.  
  
Kageyama didn’t reply and just followed Suga’s lead, walking only a half step behind him through the market. The booths rose on either side of them, looking like buildings themselves but were only tables covered with intricate tents to keep the sun and rain off of the merchandise. Any type of curio could be found on just the main street of the market, everything from hand carved wooden statues to dinner wear to fine silk clothes to fresh food sat eagerly to be purchased.  
  
It was slightly overcast in Enoshima, a full hour away from Tokyo, and the air filled with the gentle scent of upcoming rain. The wind would blow occasionally, bringing the smell with it before it was drowned out by the bitterness of the sweaty people who moved about in the street and all types of food sizzling on open grills. Kageyama almost stopped to grab a meat bun before Suga grabbed his elbow and pointed to one of the few closed booths up the street with, ‘Hinata’s Fresh Fish’ painted in white kanji on a piece of wood hanging from the tent. “That’s the one we’re looking for.”  
  
“It’s closed,” Kageyama replied sternly, moving to talk to the cook and place his order when Suga completely ignored him and kept walking. He nodded in slight apology to the cook and wandered after his new associate, stubbornly shoving his hands in his pockets and looking as unamused as possible.  
  
Suga didn’t seem to care that the sun bleached red curtains were clearly pulled over the table for a reason separating it from the rest of the booths. He looked around cautiously, but no one was even looking in their general direction and ducked behind the curtain. Kageyama gave an exhausted sigh before following suit.  
  
It took his eyes a moment to adjust to the dim light seeping through the bottom of the curtain where the fabric didn’t touch the ground. It smelled musky and like the once fresh fish had been sitting in the heat for a few days. “Perfect,” Suga muttered under his breath, moving to pull one of the ice chests from under the table. Before Kageyama could warn him he opened it. Luckily there wasn’t any dead fish, just lukewarm water that had been sitting there since the last time the booth was open. Kageyama didn’t want to guess how long ago that was. Suga continued to go through everything in the tent with lightning speed, picking up an object, opening an ice chest and staring at it with a calculating precision before placing it back in its assigned spot. When he finished, he wiped his hands on his trousers carelessly though there was nothing on his hands to begin with.  
  
Without a word, Suga left the tent, letting in a blinding light on his way out. Kageyama muttered a curse under his breath but followed the man back out, shielding his eyes from the light until they readjusted. “What was that about?”  
  
Suga shrugged. “I told you, we need someone who has no government affiliation so we can keep up on transportation. I can’t tell you how much money we’ve lost in profit since our last-“  
  
“I thought you told me the Japanese government stopped cracking down on the yakuza in the last few years since we have the biggest handle on the economy.” Kageyama interrupted, looking up and down the street, watching a man on a bike grow closer and closer.  
  
"You’re right but only specific groups have been given amnesty for their illegal crimes, and smuggling drugs are still highly illegal in this country-“  
  
The man on the bike grew closer and stopped right in front of them, his brakes giving a miserable squeak as he stopped, interrupting Sugawara. Suga’s surprised expression melted into his typical business smile as the man got off the bike, stuttering his sincerest apologies. “I assume you’re from the Kurasuno Company? I apologize for being late, the bike ride took a little longer than I had planned.”  
  
"That’s quite all right. We just arrived ourselves,” explained Suga.  
  
Kageyama eyed the man carefully, looking him up and down. He wasn’t dressed spectacularly and his ginger hair stood up everywhere as if the wind decided bedhead was more attractive, matching his disheveled clothing choice, tight black jeans and a jacket that reminded him too much of Tanaka’s high school letter man’s jackets. Oddly enough, though the man looked like a mess, his excitement and smile was genuine, his entire face glowing with a youthful effervescence Kageyama hadn’t seen on his own face in a long time.  
  
"Shōyō Hinata. My father is sorry he couldn’t make it so he sent me, his only son, to take his place. I hope you don’t mind.” He leaned his bike against the leg of the table behind the booth, making the cheap curtain taught under it before he turned to them and gave a deep bow.  
  
Suga and Kageyama did the same. “We don’t mind. I am Kōshi Sugawara and this is my associate Tobio Kageyama. Hopefully we can both agree on a good deal.”  
  
The conversation didn’t even register in Kageyama’s mind, his eyes wandering to stare off into the distance down the street for a while until they settled on Hinata’s moving mouth. The man spoke vividly; his hands made the words seem almost physical as he discussed the terms and conditions of their deal. Kageyama couldn’t help but notice the warmth coming from him. It wasn’t the same gentle welcoming warmth Sugawara had when he conducted business but something brighter, almost blinding, a presence that whispered, “notice me.” It was then he realized he’d been staring.  
  
"Glad to be able to do business with you Hinata,” Suga said, reaching forward to shake the man’s hand. Hinata took it and gave a steady handshake. “We have a truck waiting for us at the end of the street. We’ll go to pick up our first shipment and give you the payment.”  
  
"Wait… Really?” Hinata looked like a dear in headlights. “I’m sure we have that much fish in our warehouse refrigerated but…”  
  
“What?” piped up Kageyama, “Too difficult right now?”  
  
He could see Hinata’s Adam’s apple bob up and down as he swallowed. A strong breeze swept through the street and a few distraught cries could be heard bit no one acknowledged them. “No. I’m just surprised is all. Let me leave my bike in the booth and I’ll follow you over there.”  
  
He did just as he promised and followed the two men back down the street in the direction they came from, pushing past crowds of people attempting to catch their belongings swept up by the sudden wind and close down their shops in lieu of the impending storm. On the way to the truck, Hinata caught a paper umbrella with one hand and turned to give it back to the little girl who lost it. He kneeled down and grinned widely at her before handing it back and brushed off her mother’s gratitude as if it was no big deal.  
  
Tanaka stood outside the truck smoking a cigarette, the smoke pulled away by the rising wind. He leaned against the metal hull of the shipping compartment with “Kurasuno Company,” written on the side in kanji next to a crow in mid-flight as the company logo. He stood there casually as if he was just another man driving a shipping truck and Kageyama noticed he actually had his stupid coat buttoned up to his neck to keep out the wind. He gave Hinata a nod who simply nodded back as the three of them moved to the back of the open shipping compartment.  
  
Hinata’s eyes were wide in amazement as if he’d never seen a truck this big up close in his entire life. Which is sad, Kageyama decided. The guy couldn’t be far from his age right? Probably a handful of years younger considering how much shorter he was. He only came to Kageyama’s collarbone. “Stay here,” Suga ordered, motioning at Kageyama to follow him to the front of the truck.  
  
Hinata breathed in and out slowly to contain his excitement as the two men walked back to the front of the truck. He’d actually never seen one this big before. Okay sure he had dealt with a lot of prospective buyers before but never one with this much gravitas or this much money for that matter. A thousand yen for every pound of fish his family caught? He would never have to worry about money again. His father could retire and go back to his woodcarving hobby he had before Natsu was born. His sister could finally pick out new furniture for the house and maybe buy them the new set of dishes they so desperately needed.  
  
He stared into the back of the open truck, crates upon crates stacked inside neatly, except for the one that sat in the very front. That one was open and thin hay packing material stuck up wildly out of it in all directions. He stood on one foot and leaned to the side, checking to see where the two men had gone. The grumpy one stood talking to the one with the shaved head about something Hinata couldn’t catch and the silver haired one stood a few feet away, chattering into his cellphone. No one looked his way. He grinned.  
  
He’d heard of the Kurasano Company before, that they smuggle animals in from all over the world and sell them for pets and for food to the more extravagant rich people who have enough money to try jaguar heart just once. He heard they were an underground group on mercenaries who would kill on a moments notice. The longer he stood there, the more rumors he remembered and the less he could resist just taking a peek in the open crate. He was sure it wasn’t a live animal but nonetheless, it was calling to him.  
  
Grinning from excitement and giddiness, Hinata hauled himself into the back of the truck as subtly as possible, pausing a moment to see if he could hear any footsteps and when he couldn’t, he wanted to jump and down. He felt like a spy, or maybe one of those ninjas he read about in the books his father bought him as a kid. He was on a secret mission and only had a short amount of time.  
  
Hinata tiptoed towards the open crate, stopping to stare down at it a moment and regain his composure. His hand slid carefully into the packaging and he pulled the stringy hay aside, expecting to find something a lot more thrilling.  
  
Inside the crate was layer upon layer of plastic bags, all a gallon sized filled with something green. He lifted the bag and gingerly pulled apart the opening, the bitter smell reaching his nose and making him gag. His eyes started to water and he inhaled the scent again, trying to figure out what it was. It reminded him of the sage his father would burn next to his mother’s picture but it was stronger, more intoxicating and it made his stomach lurch into his throat.  
  
“What the fuck are you doing?” asked a voice from behind Hinata, making him jump and drop the open bag back into the crate.  
  
Sugawara and Kageyama stepped in the truck, both poised to kill. Suga’s eyes were thin slits in the dark, his face caught in a permanent grimace. Kageyama stared blankly ahead, meeting Hinata’s eyes with indifference, like he could care less if Hinata actually died, and for some reason that made him more afraid than Sugawara’s glare. “I-” he began.  
  
“You what?” Suga interrupted, pulling something out of his pocket. It shined in the dimness of the truck and opened with a definite click before he spun it between his fingers with practiced ease. A knife, Hinata thought, I’m going to die.  
  
It was a simple switchblade but the blade itself was six or so inches long, double edged. The handle was fashioned out of wood with kanji carved up the side. Suga stepped closer and lunged, grabbing the back of Hinata’s hair, pulling his head back to expose his throat. The blade rested against it with just enough force to prove it was actually there and Suga looked him dead in the eye. “What do you think you’re doing?” he asked again in a low, threatening voice.  
  
“I’ve heard that your company sold exotic animals and I was curious. I meant no harm I promise.” The words tumbled out of his mouth, his voice shaking slightly and his eyes screwed shut. He can’t die here. Not here. Not yet.  
  
“And you didn’t find what you were looking for did you?” Suga pressed the knife harder against the side of Hinata’s throat and for a moment he was glad it wasn’t the serrated edge.  
  
“No sir.”  
  
“Maybe I should just kill you, since you now know our secret. How would you like that?” His voice sounded like a viper’s, smooth and convincing, drawing out every word as if they were their own sentence. Hinata tried to curl away from the blade but Suga just pulled on his hair harder, making him lean back further until he was relying on Sugawara to stay standing.  
  
His eyes shot open when he heard Kageyama finally speak up. “Sugawara, you and I both know you don’t want to kill him.”  
  
Suga turned and looked at him surprised. “Oh really? If I did no one would know. No one would find his body.”  
  
Hinata whimpered. “Please. My sister needs me. Our dad can’t take care of her or himself much longer.”  
  
That sparked something in Sugawara, his anger flaring and Hinata could feel the other man’s unsteady breathing on his face as he looked down at him. “You think just because you have a family I should let you live?”  
  
Hinata couldn’t answer as the smooth blade began to bite into the soft skin of this throat and started to bleed slowly, like a paper cut. His wide sandy eyes met Kageyama’s in desperation but the man still looked indifferent. “You don’t know what you found do you?” Kageyama asked quietly.  
  
Hinata grunted, his legs starting to shake from a mix of fear and exhaustion. “No. I honestly don’t know what I found. Please let me go. Please.”  
  
“Suga, let him go. He isn’t worth our time.” Kageyama’s voice held a commanding tone, making Sugawara turn towards him and look in confusion.  
  
"He knows,” he hissed.  
  
“Look, if it’s such a big deal to you we can make a compromise.” Kageyama took a few steps forward and moved to the left of the crate. Hinata strained his eyes to see him but to no avail. He heard something shift and crack loudly but beyond that, he could only hear the sound of his heart attempting to beat out of his chest as he took another ragged breath. The blood that trickled from the blade across his skin was warm, so warm. It couldn’t actually be his right?  
  
“Compromise?”  
  
Kageyama moved to where Hinata could meet his dark eyes again and he stood with a large wooden plank in his hand, probably from the lid of the crate. His expression still looked the same, his mouth set in a permanent scowl, his eyes still distant but calculating. Hinata’s fear melted away for a moment to awe. Every movement this man made, every expression he decided on was calculated for what was best in the situation, as if his mind wasn’t anything more than gears endlessly turning in a bigger machine. This man could command a room with just a whisper like a king and yet here he was taking orders from a man trying to kill him. It was then Hinata remembered just how afraid he was.  
  
He looked from Suga’s dark eyes back to Kageyama’s and for a moment he thought Kageyama’s face shifted to say, “This is all I can do for you.”  
  
“Move,” he ordered and Suga let Hinata go but before he could flee, the plank hit the side of his head hard and everything went black as he crumpled to the ground.  
  
"This is what you call compromise?” Suga asked, pulling a cloth from his pants’ pocket and wiping the blood off his blade with it. He stared at Hinata’s crumpled form in disdain.  
  
“Look. You can keep him alive and bring him to the base to ask Daichi what to do with him.” Kageyama tossed the board aside and dragged Hinata’s unconscious form to a more comfortable position. “Have any rope?”  
  
He could tell Suga was tossing the idea of killing both of them in his mind but after a moment his face softened to the Sugawara Kageyama was used to seeing and he moved to the back of the storage compartment, stuffing his knife and the now dirty cloth back into his pocket. He tossed a rope Kageyama caught in mid-air and started walking back when Tanaka’s face appeared from around the corner. “The fuck happened in here?” he asked, taking another long draw from a new cigarette.  
Kageyama finished tying up Hinata and moved to stand too. Suga’s lips curled up in a wicked smile. “Looks like we might have a new recruit.” 

  **************************************************************************************************************************************************

“You what?”  
  
Hinata groaned and stirred at the sound of unfamiliar voices, each more harsh that the last.  
  
“Looks like pretty boy finally woke up.”  
  
He shifted around, his head throbbing and his vision dark. When he tried to move his hands to rub his aching temples, he realized he couldn’t and his eyes snapped open. In front of him, scattered about the room were four men, three he’d been with at the market but the last one was unfamiliar. The new man just glared at him and then shifted his eyes back to Suga who stood slightly hunched off to the side, staring at the ground.  
  
Nothing made sense in his brain, his thoughts coming to him slow and sluggish and he had to think out every word he wanted to say or it would disappear back into the darkness of his mind. Hinata slumped his head back against the wooden headrest of the chair he was tied to and took a few labored breaths, pushing against the rope wound tightly around his chest. He closed his eyes and tried to think harder. How did he get here? And why was he tied to a chair?  
  
He caught bits and pieces of the men’s conversations. “Kill?” “Hassle.” “Join?”  
  
Eventually the words turned into sentences he could actually understand.  
  
“He’s lucky you know how to deal with concussions Suga. We don’t know when Asahi is returning, if ever,” said a voice. It must have been from the other man. His voice, even though it was stern and reprimanding, held an undertone of forgiveness and maybe a little regret.  
  
Hinata let out a shaky exhale, pushing the words he’d been thinking all along finally from his mouth. “Is this… Are you going to kill me now?” He didn’t move to look at his kidnappers, forcing his body to go limp so the bindings didn’t make his body hurt more than it already did.  
  
“You don’t know where you are do you?” asked the voice. Hinata heard footsteps grow closer and felt a hand slide behind his head, forcing him to sit up and look at who was talking. Hinata’s eyes opened to meet a pair of large brown ones that held him in his place. Their eyes stayed locked as the man stepped back, crossing his arms over his chest. He wore something almost casual, just a pair of tan slacks and a loose white dress shirt unbuttoned to his collarbone. For a second Hinata thought he noticed Suga staring at the man’s exposed collar but when he blinked, Suga was back to staring intently at his dress shoes.  
  
He took in the room for a moment, a small space with four concrete walls and a singular exposed light bulb hanging from the ceiling. The only other light was the dim hallway light seeping in through the open door. The place smelled like damp dirt and Hinata could feel the harsh coolness of the room on his bare skin.  
  
“Not really,” he began, “I remember making a deal with the silver haired man over there. Then we went back to the truck and I ended up looking in an open crate and I don’t remember much after that.”  
  
“I hit you over the head with a board,” finished Kageyama. Everyone turned to him and stared for a moment as he moved to sit on top of a metal table against the wall. He brought one knee to his chest and the other leg dangled off the table. He leaned back against the wall without a care in the world, one of his wrists resting on his knees as he locked eyes with Hinata but he didn’t speak again.  
  
“And I thought Kageyama was naïve,” joked the brown eyed man. Kageyama looked at him with a resentful glare but said nothing. The man continued, “I am Daichi, head of the Kurasuno Company. Sadly you’re our prisoner for a while until we can figure out what to do with you.”  
  
“I told you we could kill him,” said Tanaka who leaned against the open doorway with another cigarette between his fingers. This one wasn’t lit though, and he stood there twirling it between his fingers to keep himself entertained.  
  
“That option isn’t out of the cards yet,” Daichi commented before turning back to Hinata.  
  
“But wait, your company sells exotic animals. I didn’t find anything I shouldn’t have,” Hinata replied, pulling at the binds around his wrists. They stung a bit, the rope already cutting into his skin and making it chafe.  
  
Daichi laughed. “From what these three told me, you found our shipment of marijuana coming in from the United States. Kurasuno doesn’t just ship animals, we ship all types of drugs from all over the world. You stumbled upon one of Tokyo’s largest growing syndicates.”  
  
Hinata sat up suddenly in his chair, making even Kageyama turn his head to look at him in surprise. “You mean, you guys are like… the mafia? Do you go around killing people who get in your way? Is that why all of you have suits and stuff? Do you have guns although they’re illegal in Japan?” His questions continued in one long ramble until Suga interrupted him.  
  
“Quiet. The syndicate life isn’t as glamorous as you make it out to be.”  
  
Hinata moved back and forth in his chair, making it rock between two legs as he attempted his best to jump up and down. His eyes were wide and held a childish sparkle in them, which was a little concerning considering he still had a concussion and blood still matted down the hair on where the side of his head was hit. “No you guys are badasses. I heard you get to do all kinds of stuff like hide in the shadows and blackmail the government officials who have been embezzling government funds. Wait do you have cool tattoos like everyone says? I bet you do. I bet you have lions roaring across your chests and dragons slithering down your arms and-“  
  
Daichi gave an over exaggerated a sigh and glanced at Sugawara. Suga moved to stand next to him and they both pulled up the sleeves of their left arm up at the same time. Tattooed identically in simple black kanji was fly. “It is true that yakuza members are often tattooed to show membership to a certain syndicate, but the one’s you’re thinking of were popular in the 90’s. Now that the older set of members left their gangs and attempted to get a stable job, syndicates tattoo only specific images and never go full body. Unless you’re Tanaka who decided he didn’t care for the new ways.”  
  
Tanaka just grinned and winked at Hinata whose eyes were wide as he stared at the men’s wrists. He made a high-pitched noise in awe, fascinated and taking in everything at once. Kageyama clicked his tongue and looked away but no one acknowledged him. Hinata continued, “Is that the only one? And why fly of all words? You could get something so much more badass like a giant koi fish eating the sun or something.”  
  
“Can I please knock him back out?” Kageyama groaned and suddenly all of Hinata’s attention was on him.  
  
“How long have you been here? You’re not much younger than I am right? Do you have the fly tattoo too?”  
  
Kageyama replied with a grunt and said nothing else, choosing to stare blankly at the wall across from him instead.  
  
Daichi burst out in a hearty laugh. “You ask too many questions. I like that. Suga what do you think we should do with him?”  
  
“Kill him.”  
  
“Tanaka?”  
  
He thought for a moment, tilting his head up towards the ceiling and tried to look as deep in thought as possible. “If you decide to kill him can I do it?”  
Daichi asked Kageyama the same question. “Makes no difference to me,” he answered.  
  
Hinata swallowed roughly and took a shaky breath. “I’m not below begging for my life. I have a sister at home and my father is getting to old to take care of her anymore so please, they need me.” He felt his throat tighten, tears forming in his eyes. He wasn’t worried about his own death, he’d come to terms with it when his mother died, but he couldn’t leave the rest of his family to make it on their own. They wouldn’t make it without him.  
  
Sugawara’s entire body went tense; his eyes narrowed and threw Hinata the same cold calculating look he had when they were in the back of the truck. Everyone else in the room noticed but only Daichi moved to actually touch him, placing a gentle sturdy hand on the other man’s shoulder. Suga melted to the touch and took an unsteady breath before walking out of the room. Tanaka let him pass without saying anything.  
  
“Is that why this contract meant so much to you? With the money we were offering, you and your family would never have to worry about expenses again.” Daichi looked at him with a knowing expression, his eyes clear and locked on Hinata’s.  
  
The younger man swallowed, taking another deep breath to get his racing heart under control. It felt as if it would beat itself out of his chest, pounding against the back of his ribcage. “Yes sir.”  
  
Daichi moved closer, only an inch or two away from the other man’s face. “But now you know our secret. We can’t let you just walk away knowing our faces.”  
Kageyama bit back a remark. It was practically Daichi who spilled all the company secrets anyway. If he kept his mouth shut and let the freak go, they wouldn’t have this problem.  
  
The leader continued, “But you and I both know more people will be affected if we kill you than let you live.” Everything about him at this moment spoke business. He wasn’t being friendly anymore, everything he said he meant and Hinata no longer liked him as much as he thought he did. “Let’s make a deal.”  
  
“Deal?” Hinata choked out.  
  
“If you stay here, work for me, than every month we will send a paycheck to your family for the amount we agreed upon for the fish plus a little extra.”  
  
“Extra?”  
  
“You ask too many questions kid.” Daichi stood and placed his hands on his hips, his shoulders broad but relaxed. “How much more extra should we give him?”  
  
Neither Kageyama or Tanaka answered, they sat back enjoying the show until Tanaka eventually spoke up. “Sadly sir, we aren’t your financial advisor.”  
  
Daichi hummed low in his throat as he thought. “How about an extra hundred thousand yen since your father now has to catch fish on his own?”  
  
“Hu-hundred thousand yen?” Hinata stuttered, his mouth agape like a fish above water. “And I get to become part of the syndicate?”  
  
Daichi shrugged. “Sure kid. We could use another body around here.”  
  
“Can I at least go and tell them in person?”  
  
“Bad idea,” Daichi said, running a hand through his short brown hair, “we have to keep all of our movements tight and concise. We can’t babysit you. Write them a letter.”  
  
Hinata’s fear and disappointment melted off his face and the excited glitter came back to his sandy eyes. “You’re serious? When is my first mission?” he gasped, “I get a tattoo too don’t I? I’ve always wanted a tattoo. I mean fly is kind of lame but I guess it’ll do as my first one. Can I get more?”  
  
Daichi’s amusement melted again and he looked at Hinata with an exhausted stare. “Kageyama, you’re his babysitter until he learns the ropes.”  
  
He jumped off the table and stalked towards Daichi, his shoulders slumped. “You have got to be kidding me. What did I do to deserve this?”  
  
“You’re the new guy.”  
  
“That’s the only reason?”  
  
“You learned the ropes recently so it’s all fresh in your mind, besides, I’m sure you and Hinata will get along just fine. Can you imagine Suga taking him after trying to kill him? Or Tanaka?”  
  
“You’re right, that would be torture,” said Kageyama, the faintest of smiles playing at the corner of his lips. “Being with me isn’t going to be any better.”  
  
Daichi walked forward and placed a hand on Kageyama’s shoulder, his back to Hinata. “I didn’t say you had to go easy on him. Also if you don’t do your best I can just revoke our deal,” he added in a low voice. Hinata cocked his head to the side.  
  
With nothing more to say, Daichi raised one hand in a mock wave and walked out the door. Hinata watched him go and then looked back to Kageyama who stood like a deer in headlights.  
  
“Kageyama right?” Hinata asked. “And what deal did you make with him?”  
  
Kageyama came back to wherever his mind had wandered suddenly, sending a piercing glare at Hinata who flinched in return. He spoke in a low, threatening voice.  
  
“Don’t ever ask me that question again understood?” Hinata nodded. “Good.”  
  
He turned on his heal and abruptly left the room, brushing past Tanka quickly. “What do I do with him?” Tanaka called after him.  
  
“Whatever you want.” Kageyama replied, continuing to walk down the hall with his hands deep in his pockets.  
  
Tanaka clicked his tongue and then stuck it out at Kageyama’s back before turning to Hinata and walking closer. He eyed the new recruit up and down, reminding Hinata of the bulldog his grandmother used to own. “Well shrimp, looks like its time for some dinner. If you try anything, I wont hesitate to beat the shit out of you.” He pulled a switchblade out of his pocket, not as long or as detailed as Sugawara’s but just as sharp and it cut through the rope with only the slightest hesitation.  
  
Once he was finally free, Hinata took a deep breath and stoop up, stretching his arms behind his head. “Really? I can just walk around now? I thought Kageyama was my babysitter.”  
  
Tanka threw and arm around his shoulder. “I enjoy your humor and shitty optimism. Don’t forget those are a person’s best weapons. You’ll need them in a place like this kid.”


	3. Chapter 3

The two men sat at the long dining room table, the wood stretching out on both sides of them and glimmered with a lemon-scented sparkle. The room was quiet, just the two men facing each other in the middle of the low sitting table. Tanaka fiddled with the take out menu, eyeing the prices with suspicion and flipping back and forth between the four pages to decide just what he wanted for dinner.  
  
At first, Hinata stared at the endless tattoos that adorned Tanaka’s lightly tanned skin, his letterman’s jacket tossed to the side in his bedroom as he now wore a sleeveless white shirt. He could barely make out most of the shapes; some of the colors now faded and interspersed with the brighter, more recent inks. There was a naked woman hula dancing in his left bicep, a dragon that snaked from his right shoulder to rest across his clavicle, the tail crawling slightly up the vein of his neck. Each thing Hinata noticed was more intricate than the last, all different styles from different times. He wanted to ask Tanaka about his tattoos, the story behind every single one of them, but he pushed the thought aside for the time being.  
  
Hinata had at least showered to get the blood from his hair and put on some semi-clean clothes Tanaka lent him before sitting down and figuring out what to eat that night. The clothes were a bit big of course and smelled like cigarette smoke but he wasn’t going to complain.  
  
He looked around the room, fascinated with every gentle yellow light, every painting, every cabinet. The room was fashioned like a typical Japanese restaurant, the ambience elegant and carefree, and the walls painted a gentle brown, reflecting the lights in a way that created a warm glow. After being trapped in that concrete room, Hinata expected the rest of the headquarters to just be a series of empty rooms, each following the yakuza decorum he had so often pictured growing up. He was pleasantly surprised Kurasuno had decided to follow a classy sort of etiquette. “Hey Tanaka, is there a reason why everything is so nice here?”  
  
The man looked up from his menu and glanced around the room, taking it into his mind as if he never noticed it before. He cleared his throat. “Daichi likes to keep this place nice and presentable. It must be a Sawamura family trait. His father was always like that too.”  
  
Hinata cocked his head to the side slightly. “You knew his father?”  
  
Tanaka chuckled slightly. “I forgot, you grew up in a fishing town, you know nothing about what happens in Tokyo.”  
  
“Excuse me, I watched the news-“  
  
“Mr. Sawamura was a strange man. He was more worried about his company than the people working in it. But his company grew and people from all over the Kanto region knew about him.” He picked up the menu from off the table and eyed it again. “Those bastards, the price of melon-pan did go up.”  
  
Hinata leaned forward, staring intently at Tanaka who was clearly avoiding eye contact. “Wait what happened to Mr. Sawamura? Kurasuno wasn’t his company was it?”  
  
Tanaka glanced at him nervously from the edge of the menu. “Look kid, it’s not my place to really talk about that. It’s not a very interesting story. Now what do you want for dinner?”  
  
He crossed his arms but didn’t press the subject any further. If it made Tanaka uncomfortable to talk about, Hinata could only guess how bad everyone wanted to hide exactly what happened. “Beef buns,” he answered simply. “I haven’t had one of those in ages.”  
  
Tanaka raised an eyebrow. “Beef buns? You can buy that at the convenience store at any time man. Pick something better.”  
  
“I live in a fishing town. Most of our meals have fish in them, not beef. Besides it seemed like the only thing you wanted to eat was melon-pan.”  
  
The look on his face was priceless, his guilty pleasure now out in the open. “All right, I give up. I’ll order a few of those and an actual meal for the both of us. Sukiyaki sound good?”  
  
Hinata nodded, leaning forward and resting his arms on the table, shifting on the pillow. “Where is every one else?”  
  
Tanaka placed an elbow on the table and leaned his chin in his hand. He glanced to the ceiling, thinking. “Well Suga and Daichi are probably discussing business, finances, company crap. Kageyama is more than likely hiding in his room like usual and every one else is gone right now.”  
  
“Everyone else? There are more people who live here?”  
  
Tanaka cursed under his breath. “Look kid, I’m not going to tell you everything right now. Last thing we need is a newbie shrimp like you causing tension all right?”  
  
Hinata’s eye narrowed, thinking but he said nothing as he crossed his arms over his chest again, simply nodding.  
  
“Good. I am going to go get us some food now. Daichi and Suga can take care of themselves but do me a favor and go ask Kageyama what he wants before I go. I trust you enough to walk down the hallway we walked through to get here by yourself. It’s the second door on the left.”  
  
“Wait, why don’t you go and ask him? He left me tied to the chair remember?”  
  
Tanaka shrugged. “You guys have to get used to seeing each other eventually. You’re going to be working together a lot in the foreseeable future.”  
  
“I don’t understand how this is considered ‘team bonding.’ “  
  
Tanaka stood and headed towards the other door leading out of the dinning room to the patio. “I am going out on the patio for a smoke, then I’ll go get the cash to pay for this. Just go ask him.” With that, Tanaka walked out, not bothering to close the door behind him.  
  
Hinata sat there for a quiet moment and then stood up. Sure, he was excited about just simply being here. It made him one step closer to finding the Little Giant again, but Kageyama proved to be an unexpected downside. There was something fascinating about the way he carried himself, the way his thoughts flashed rapidly across his face in the blink of an eye but his attitude was off putting. Hinata might have grown up in a small town but he met a lot of people like him, the ones that couldn’t put in the slightest effort to be friendly, and Hinata hated people like that.  
  
Still, he wandered back down the hallway he and Tanaka came from; it just as brightly lit as the dinning room. The thin carpet muffled his careful steps and he stopped right in front of Kageyama’s door, raising a hand to rap gently against the wood of the doorframe. He knocked but received no answer.  
  
Hinata huffed and knocked again. Nothing. He was about to turn and go back to the dinning room but he heard a noise from behind the door, a slight rustling, a quiet groan. “Kageyama, Tanaka wants to know what you want for dinner,” he called.  
  
Another groan came from behind the door but no verbal answer and Hinata was done waiting. He sighed and pushed open the door, not really caring what he might see in the room at this point, though he wasn’t expecting this.  
  
It was hard to make out the room beyond the haze of smoke drifting towards the ceiling. The smell alone made Hinata’s eyes water and he coughed compulsively, covering his nose and mouth with the edge of Tanaka’s shirt. The bitter smell of aged tobacco didn’t make his coughing any better but he tried his best to concentrate on what was in front of him. On the floor next to the bed sat Kageyama, his eyes half idled, his mouth agape as his body slid slowly lower and lower to the floor. “Kageyama!”  
  
Hinata lurched for him, trying to grab the man’s shoulder and pull him out of the room, away from the fire. The air didn’t feel hot, just above room temperature and Kageyama’s face wasn’t flushed. He noticed the discarded pipe (which Hinata’s brain remembered is called a kiseru) glinting on the floor in the pale grey lighting. Black ashes flecked with green spilled from its wide mouth onto the wooden floor. There wasn’t a fire.  
  
He shook Kageyama’s shoulder roughly, talking to him and trying to get his attention but Kageyama just slouched there, his breathing slow and a slight smile curling the corners of his lips. Hinata grunted with frustration and did the only thing he could do. He lifted Kageyama onto his bed; the man’s limp body making it harder than it honestly should have been for Hinata. He could admit, he wasn’t impressively buff or anything but he has carried crates of fish off of his father’s boat since he was fifteen. This shouldn’t have been as hard as it was.  
  
Eventually he got the younger man sprawled across the futon, most of the smoke drifting through the open door and into the hallway. “Hey Hinata.”  
Hinata jumped, startled and turned to the person standing at the door. Tanaka regarded him with his usual grin, uncrossed his arms and pushed himself off the doorframe to step into the room.  
  
“He’s out. I couldn’t get him to budge,” said Hinata.  
  
“Well that settles dinner plans then. C’mon and leave him alone.” Tanaka turned and walked back out of the room towards the dinning hall.  
  
Hinata glanced back to Kageyama’s form and followed Tanaka into the hall, closing the door quietly behind him. “Are we just going to leave him there like that? Will he be okay?”  
  
Tanaka fished for his cigarettes in his coat pocket and pulled one out, offering one to Hinata who politely refused. He just shrugged and pulled out his Zippo lighter with a click before lighting his cigarette. He shoved both back in his coat and kept walking down the hall, taking a deep inhale before responding to Hinata. “He will be perfectly fine. It’s not his first time man, though I didn’t think he smoked that much.”  
  
“Smoked what?”  
  
Tanaka sighed, dropping his shoulders just a little lower and turning to face Hinata in the dining room. “Don’t tell Kageyama you saw him like that.”  
  
“But-“  
  
“Don’t.”  
  
Hinata nodded, sliding his hands into his back pockets.  
  
Tanaka gave his usual charismatic grin but even Hinata could tell something was bothering him. “Tomorrow I’ll give you a crash course in how we operate here. Let’s go get some grub.”  
**********************************************************************************************************************************************  
  
The door slid shut with a loud thud as he entered the room, the other man refusing to look up to see who it was. He sauntered in, his black pants unbuttoned and low on his waist, the narrow V of his thin hips blatantly visible. His shirtless chest shined with drying sweat in the dim lighting and his dark hair stood up in all directions recklessly disheveled. He moved slowly, with confident ease, to the mahogany box on the kotatsu in the middle of the room, pulling a thick cigar from it and sat across from his associate.  
  
The associate’s amber eyes stayed locked on the screen in front of him, his gaze moving back and forth, calculating the best course of action. It wasn’t until the other man lit his cigar and took a long inhale that he looked up. “You forgot your shirt again,” he said matter of fact.  
  
The corners of his lips pulled up in an easy smirk. “You know I can get it replaced Kenma.”  
  
Kenma simply shrugged, his thumbs rapidly pushing buttons until he died in his video game again. He sighed quietly, relaxing his shoulders and started the battle again. Kuroo stared at him with a gentle regard, placing his elbow on the table of the kotatsu and leaning the side of his face into his empty palm. Kenma looked as he always did. Slight bags adorned his tired eyes, his small frame hidden under the largest hoodie he could possibly own, his legs tucked safely under the fabric of the kotatsu. It was well above room temperature, Kuroo sliding his hand through his black locks to pull his sweaty bangs from his face and cool down but Kenma didn’t seem to mind.  
  
“Was it a man or woman this time?” Kenma asked after he died again, his eyes shifting up to meet Kuroo’s flickering grey ones.  
  
He took another long draw from his cigar, exhaling cherry scented smoke into the air of their lounge room. “Eh, doesn’t really matter does it?”  
  
Kenma shrugged, going to back to his device, the bright screen light illuminating the shadows on his face. Kuroo watched carefully, waiting for the subtle twitch of his left eye that meant Kenma was mad at him. It didn’t come.  
  
He sighed and ground his half smoked cigar in the nearly full ashtray, putting it out before crossing his arms over his broad chest. “Heard anything about the Kurasuno Company lately?”  
  
“I’m thirsty,” Kenma replied simply.  
  
Kuroo grunted but stood up, noting the stiffness already settling into his muscles and he walked over to the open kitchen. The tile was cool on his bare feet, appearing like scattered gravel. He reached for the refrigerator door and pulled it open, grabbing a bottle of freezing cold water.  
  
Kenma watched him go through the curtain of his blond locks, memorizing the way the large roaring mountain lion moved with grace across Kuroo’s pale skin, the muscles of his shoulders making it ripple as he walked. It was done in a style that reminded Kenma of ancient Aztec drawings, random squares and circles seemingly pulled together to make a distinct and complex tattoo. Around the cat itself were soft, muted circles, mimicking stars as it stood atop a rocky mountain cliff. It was large and so intricately detailed, Kenma could stare at it for hours and still not have the image engraved into his mind. He looked back to his game before Kuroo noticed he was staring.  
  
Kuroo could see Kenma look away out of the corner of his eye as he stood but he said nothing and sauntered back. He placed the bottle next to the ash ray on the table and slumped back on the floor, resting one hand on a knee drawn to his chest and leaning back on the other, turning his head to the side. “So Kurasuno?”  
  
Kenma placed the game gently on the table and opened the water bottle, wrapping his entire mouth around the lip as he drank nearly half the bottle in one sip. It felt cool as slid down his throat and washed away the rising warmth of his cheeks. He pulled it away from his mouth with a pop and took a deep breath. “They shouldn’t pose a threat anytime soon. Their membership is at an all time low.”  
  
“And with us threatening their bulldog, they won’t make any sudden movements.” Kuroo smiled, congratulating himself on a job well done.  
  
Kenma put the lid back on his water bottle and looked Kuroo in the eye. “I wouldn’t underestimate the rest of their members. The bulldog is the most obvious threat but Daichi’s right hand isn’t someone to brush off either. All because they are in the middle of an internal struggle, doesn’t mean they’re any less weak.”  
  
“Do you think we can utilize their struggle somehow? Maybe place a mole in their company?”  
  
Kenma shrugged, placing his face on his laced fingers resting against the table. It was harder for him to speak now, the words coming out with an awkward sort of slur but Kuroo still understood what he said. “I can’t think of anyone stupid enough to want to do such a thing but if we could…” His expression went blank as options upon options ran through his head. “You have to time it right though. Do it at a time where there are a bunch of new members so it’s impossible to tell who is the traitor.”  
  
Kuroo laughed. “This why you’re the brain and heart of the company. We’ll keep the blood flowing so you can do your job.”  
  
“That’s so stupid,” he said, almost a whisper but Kuroo still heard it.  
  
“You know I’m right though.” He grabbed one of his wrists with the other hand and stretched his arms over his head, giving an over exaggerated yawn. “Well if we’re done-“  
  
“Oikawa stopped by today.” Kenma moved to lie on the floor and stretch out, his arms above his head as he stared at the ceiling blankly.  
  
“Oikawa? Why?” asked Kuroo as he moved to see Kenma, sitting cross-legged next to him. Kenma shrugged against the floor.  
  
“He said he only wanted to see you. Wouldn’t let me take a message either.” He rolled onto his side, facing away from Kuroo and moved his arm under his head as a makeshift pillow. “Kuroo, I’m tired.”  
  
The older man chuckled. “I’ll find what he wanted from us. You do whatever.” With that he stood and walked towards the door connecting the lounge to the hall full of bedrooms. On his way out he turned the light down low and left Kenma there, his curled up form already snoring quietly.  
  
He wandered towards his bedroom; the hall quieter than it had been in nights. Today was Friday, the day of the week where the heart of Nekoma Enterprises had the night to themselves. Most went out to terrorize the nightlife, find a pretty girl in the bar, fuck her, then come back before the sun rose. Kuroo himself was no different, though he liked to mix it up from time to time. Go both ways.  
  
The others who didn’t engage in night activities did other things. More than once Kuroo came back to Lev begging Kenma to help him put together a puzzle or let him play whatever game Kenma was playing at the time. The night never ended well for either of them when that happened.  
  
Kuroo slid open the door and flicked on the light, shuffling about to find a pair of sweat pants to change into before fishing around for his long lost cellphone. After pulling it from a pile of useless papers, he pressed the home button and noticed the string of messages across the screen, all from a certain neighboring drug dealer. Kuroo moved to his bed, taking a sip from the bottle of alcohol he had left there nearly empty the night before and dialed the number. The bitter taste helped wake him up as the phone rang all of four times before the voice on the other side answered. “Kuroo?”  
  
“This must be important if you didn’t want to tell Kenma about it Oikawa.”  
  
“Don’t worry. It is,” replied the voice without its usual childlike luster. He was quiet, taking a few shaky inhales before continuing. “I need your help.”

**********************************************************************************************************************************************  
  
Hinata stood tall in front of the full body mirror in his new room, fondling the thin, silky fabric of his tie as his fingers attempted to tie it into a knot. He continued to grumble as Kageyama walked leisurely to his door and stood there, staring at Hinata in utter amusement. “Are you almost done?”  
  
Hinata turned around so fast it almost gave him whiplash and he stood wide eyed at Kageyama for a moment until he noticed he caught his finger in the knot of the tie and could not remove it. “Almost. Maybe like another five minutes,” he replied, turning back to the mirror and cursing the tie and its kin.  
  
Kageyama groaned and rolled his dark eyes, the doorframe squeaking in protest as he leaned his body weight against it. “Daichi also wanted me to ask if you had that letter prepared to mail.”  
  
Electric auburn eyes met his through the mirror and Hinata tilted his head to the right, gesturing to the small desk in the corner of his room. It was covered with crumpled papers and snapped pencils as if Hinata had started the letter a million times before deciding exactly what he wanted to say. “It’s the envelope on the red book towards the top right hand corner,” and after a few seconds of silence, “Aha!”  
  
Kageyama walked over to the desk and picked up the envelope in his hand, the sides bulging from the wad of paper it contained. “What is this? Your last will and testament?”  
  
Hinata cleared his throat after checking his cuff links and tie one more time before he turned to his new associate, his face softening. “I’ve been here for two weeks, my father and sister must be worried sick. They deserve to know every detail of what happened since then. Do you think Daichi will actually send that letter?”  
  
Kageyama turned it over in his hands, staring at the scribbly address written hastily on the front. “I assume he will. No reason why not to. He wanted me to give this to him before our mission,” he shoved the letter into the inner pocket of his suit jacket with some difficulty and continued, “You go meet Tanaka out by the trucks. He’s waiting for you there.”  
  
The excited and glowing smile on Hinata’s face was blinding, and Kageyama couldn’t help but scowling at the man. He pushed passed him and stalked down the hallway, his shoulders slightly hunched and his footsteps heavy on the carpet. He reminded Hinata of the ocean right before a storm, where the darkest most dangerous waves are the ones crashing below the surface waiting to rise and shatter against the shore.  
  
After turning off the light and closing the bedroom door behind him, Hinata walked in the opposite direction towards the garage attached to the office building. In the elevator he couldn’t help but fiddle with the sleeves of his deep brown suit, a million thoughts fluttering through his mind of his family back in Enoshima. How his father’s business is now doing. How he missed his sister’s fancy dinner party he had planned for her to celebrate.  
  
Guilt crawled from his stomach to the inside of his throat, threatening to choke him as he took a deep, steadying breath. It shouldn’t have taken him two weeks to write them a letter telling them where he was. He knew he did something terrible, but excuses kept trying to assure him he had every justifiable reason to take that long. Suddenly the elevator felt twice as small, its walls moving in to crush him where he stood. He closed his eyes and leaned against the handrail, trying to keep his rushing emotions at bay.  
  
When the elevator doors finally dinged open, Hinata could not be more relieved to escape his own thoughts. He straightened his shoulders as he walked out to where Tanaka was leaning against the same company truck Hinata had been knocked out in two weeks ago.  
  
The garage was the size of a typical parking garage, the same grey stone pillars and grungy concrete floor but with a higher ceiling so the trucks could fit in. The washed white lights reflected off the various vehicles scattered throughout the garage, Daichi’s own private cars parked near the truck.  
  
Tanaka pulled himself off of the truck’s side and ground the butt of his cigarette against the heel of his shoe. “You’re going to develop some sort of cancer you know,” Hinata piped up as he walked over.  
  
A slender hand flipped Hinata off and Tanaka grumbled, “Just remember kid, there are a million other worse things that can happen to you than cancer. Where’s Kageyama?”  
  
“He should be coming soon. So where are we going? Are we going to have to kick some people’s asses?” He gasped, “Do I get a really cool weapon like Suga or-“  
  
“Looks like the lap dog is excited.” Tanaka upper lip curled to look more like a grin than a sneer.  
  
“Hey! I take offense to that. I am much more than your average lap dog.”  
  
“Right,” called a voice from behind, “he barks too much to be anyone’s award winning pet.”  
  
Tanaka burst into a hearty laugh. “Best one yet. Hey!” He slapped Kageyama’s hand away from where he had been scratching at his own wrist and Kageyama’s expression hardened defensively as he shoved both hands in his pockets. “You know that isn’t going to heal properly if you keep messing with it. After care is the most important part of getting a tattoo.”  
  
“Thanks Mom,” Kageyama grumbled as he opened the large passenger side door before climbing into the cab and slamming the door behind him.  
  
“Has he always been this crabby?” Hinata asked, staring at Kageyama through the corner of his eye. “You’ve known him for a while right?”  
  
“Kid, you realize he’s been here only a month and a half longer than you have right?” Tanaka asked.  
  
Today he was dressed a little nicer than normal, the letterman jacket gone and replaced with a thin black suit jacket, its sleeves rolled up to his elbows, exposing his tattoos. The white shirt underneath barely peaked out from under the jacket sleeves and the collar but at least it was properly cleaned. The slacks he wore had an awkward ironing line down the middle but that didn’t surprise Hinata.  
  
“Whenever I asked about it he refused to answer, just grumbled about how big of an idiot I was and that I needed to pay attention. I wouldn’t have guessed he hadn’t been here that long. He acts like he’s the king around here.” Hinata crossed his arms over his chest, which proved to be more difficult than expected in the suit.  
  
“Get in the truck. We’re going to be late.” Tanaka gestured towards the door Kageyama had used and then pulled the keys out of his pocket, twirling them around his finger as he walked around the front of the vehicle and hopped in the driver’s side.  
  
As soon as Hinata pulled open the door, Kageyama turned and sent him a wicked glare that froze him in his tracks. Tanaka started the truck and began to fiddle with the stereo as Kageyama said, “I’m not sitting in the middle.”  
  
After a few painfully long minutes of the two men shuffling around and Tanaka blasting some old 80’s band through the truck speaker, the members of the Kurasuno Company began finally driving down the crowded road. Tanaka glanced at the large watch that adorned his wrist, it’s hands pointing proudly at 3:37. He clicked his tongue, gripping the steering wheel harder in his hands.  
  
“What?” asked Kageyama, looking over a happy Hinata who sat in the middle of the two of them, glancing rapidly from side to side at the scenery passing ever so slowly by.  
  
“We’re going to be late. The place is in Ikebukero, so not too far away but traffic is terrible,” he grumbled in response, grabbing his IPod from the cup holder, unlocking it and scrolling through to figure out what new song matched his mood.  
  
“They won’t leave right?” Hinata looked expectantly at the side of Tanaka’s face.  
  
“Probably not, but that’s still bad business kid. Kurasuno is on thin ice as of late and I’d rather not mess anything else up, end of discussion.”  
  
It was strange to see Tanaka so anxious. Kageyama simply dismissed it while Hinata kept trying to get Tanaka to talk to him, only to be pushed aside. The rest of the ride was spent in near silence except for the stereo blasting A.C/D.C. as traffic finally thinned and Tanaka hit curse control.  
  
They arrived at an abandoned warehouse in Ikebukero fifteen minutes after four, the metal of the walls coated in a thick layer of iron, the chain link fence surrounding the overgrown grass nearly fallen over. Tanka pulled up to the gate and muscled it open, the metal resisting, forcing a screech to resound in the air. He drove forward and made Kageyama close it behind the truck, another painful screech echoing in their eat drums.  
  
Kageyama wanted to gag Hinata as he gasped and gaped at the scenery as they rove closer. He was antsy, refusing to sit still for a moment and encroaching on both Tanka and Kageyama but the driver didn’t seem to mind as he lip-sang the words to Back in Black.  
  
He could see another truck parked next to the warehouse, a splotch of white against the pale green of the overgrowth and grey of the ancient warehouse. They pulled up and hastily parked next to it, Hinata so lively with anxious energy, Kageyama thought he was going to vibrate out of his skin. All three men piled out of the trunk and Tanaka rounded the front, looking at the two younger men with a fierce glow behind his charcoal eyes. “You two stay here. I’ll need you two to transfer the goods over, but otherwise I would like you to stay out of my way.” Tanka stalked off to where the representative stood next to his large white truck.  
  
“But-“ Hinata began, stepping forward to follow him.  
  
Kageyama’s arm suddenly collided with Hinata’s chest and he stared suspiciously at the two men now talking about the conditions of the deal. Hinata turned in surprise and started to speak before he was interrupted. “Just wait. Something about this feels off to me,” Kageyama said without turning to look at him.  
  
Hinata said nothing and took a step back, hands moving to fiddle with the finely engraved feather cufflinks on his wrists. Kageyama relaxed against the door of the truck, his eyes cold and calculating as he watched the exchange. He could faintly make out some of the things Tanka said, but not much as the man went on a ramble.  
  
“What do you mean this will cost a hundred thousand yen? That wasn’t the deal,” Tanaka said in a gruff voice, shoving his hands in his pockets in search of something.  
  
The man stared at him with a blank expression, his outfit a simple black suit and he towered over Tanaka’s crouching form. He crossed his arms over his chest and he said something in a very low, quiet voice.  
  
Kageyama could hear Hinata shuffle nervously about in the gravel beside him but he tried to focus on what was being said. There was something awfully familiar about the man Tanaka proceeded to negotiate with, something Kageyama couldn’t quite place but still tugged at the back of his mind. He was lost in thought when Tanaka suddenly yelled. “Listen here Turnip-Head, I don’t care who the fuck you think you are-“  
  
Suddenly the man jolted forward, lunging for Tanaka and taking him by surprise. Tanaka didn’t even have time to fight before the man reached his neck, tossing him in a headlock pressed a needle into the skin there. Tanaka crumbled to the ground instantly.  
  
“Tanaka!” Hinata called, starting to sprint towards the man’s aid, forgetting completely that the attacker was just as fast as he was.  
  
“You idiot!” Kageyama yelled after him, following him in a run but before he could reach either man, Hinata was grabbed by the attacker who was at least half a foot taller than him if not more.  
  
Hinata struggled like a feral dog against the man’s grip, trying to pull away and even bite the arm that wrapped tightly around his neck. The gravel shifted under them as the attacker struggled to keep Hinata in a headlock, sliding a hand behind his back to pull out a small revolver from his belt and shove it into Hinata’s temple. “You better stop or I won’t hesitate to blow your brains out.”  
  
Hinata’s eyes squeezed shut, his breathing short and labored as he tried not to panic. If he stayed still long enough, followed orders then maybe…  
  
Kageyama stepped forward slowly, throwing his hands up in the air in defeat. His eyes met the attackers and narrowed. “Yūtaro Kindaichi, it’s been a long time.”  
  
“You don’t have any right to say my name like we know each other,” growled the man.  
  
“What do you want with Kurasuno? Last I knew, we bought out Sejōh months ago so you have no products left to sell us. And I know you’re smart enough to know that attacking only three of its members won’t constitute as revenge.” His voice was low and thick, each word dripping out like venom.  
  
“I’ve been given orders to take only you back with me. I couldn’t care less about the bulldog or this idiot. I won’t hesitate to kill either of them.” Kindaichi tightened his grip on Hinata’s neck. “So I suggest you come with me.”  
  
“Who sent you?” Kageyama asked as his brain went into fight or flight mode, all of his options swirling about his mind as he tried to find the one with the least collateral damage. He subtly glanced to where Tanaka lay crumbled on the ground. His chest still rose with slow and delicate breaths. He was alive, for now, but who knows what Kindaichi injected into his neck, or how much longer he had. Kageyama also knew if he messed up, Hinata would be dead as well and he couldn’t have either one of these assholes die on him, as much as he despised them.  
  
“Wish I could tell you King, but that isn’t my place. Just know that Sejōh will once again find it’s place in the sun. Now,” he pulled back the trigger of the revolver and Hinata winced, a painful whine escaping his lips. “I think you better make a decision.”  
  
Kageyama sighed, and seeing no other option, he raised his hands in the air once more, taking a few careful steps forward. Hinata’s eyes shot open and he tried to struggle once more. “Kageyama don’t!”  
  
The gun was shoved painfully hard into his temple and his head jerked to the side. Kageyama’s jaw clenched and he took another few steps forward, only a foot or so away from where the two men stood. “Hinata,” he began through gritted teeth, “Listen to me. Kindaichi is going to let you go and you’re going to help Tanaka. Let him take me.”  
  
“But-“  
  
“Do as I say!”  
  
Kindaichi let Hinata go slowly, his arm uncurling from the shorter man’s neck, allowing him to finally take in a deep breath. His shoulders relaxed and his eyes met Kageyama’s with a cold fire, the auburn glowing with a frozen intensity. Kageyama stayed stone faced but he understood Hinata’s message.  
  
Together.  
  
Kindaichi moved the gun to press against the small of Hinata’s back in an attempt to shove him forward. “Get moving.”  
  
Kageyama’s and Hinata’s glances met one last time and unexpectedly, Hinata jumped, the top of his head crashing into Kindaichi’s chin, making him stumble backwards with from the force of the blow. The revolver went off but luckily it was pointed high in the air, causing the bullet to fly away from all three of them.  
Kageyama lunged forward just as Kindaichi found his footing and attempted to wrestle the gun from his grip. Hinata raced around the both of them and jumped on Kindaichi’s back, causing him to stumble back once again as he cursed at the both of them. Hinata’s grip was tight on his neck though and it became harder and harder for Kindaichi to fight not only him but Kageyama struggling to get the gun. His hand clawed at Hinata’s arm, and then moved to swing a punch at Kageyama’s head. It almost hit, but as Kindaichi stumbled backwards, the gravel shifted from under him and both he and Hinata went tumbling to the ground, pushing all of the air out of Hinata’s lungs.  
  
Kageyama managed to pull the revolver from the other man’s grip and pointed it at him. “Now you’re going to get up slowly, putting your hands in the air or I won’t hesitate to kill you either.”  
  
Kindaichi’s eyes grew wide but he tried to mask his panic as Hinata grunted under him when he shifted. “You wouldn’t dare.”  
  
“Want to fucking try me?” growled Kageyama, flicking the hammer back with his thumb. “I have no reason to keep you alive.”  
  
The man swallowed roughly but did as he was told, slowly standing up and putting his hands, palms forward, in the air. His spikey hair was now a mess, parts of it no longer sticking up from sweat and all grey with the gravel dust. Hinata stood up behind him, slowly brushing himself off and looking at the tear in one of his sleeves. “Shit, Suga is going to kill me,” he muttered.  
  
“Now you’re going to turn around, hands still in the air,” Kageyama ordered, his voice still as venomous as before.  
  
Kindaichi’s eyes darted back and forth, panic setting into his blood as he tried to figure a way out while he turned around to face Hinata. The man smiled wide and cockily at him, his arms crossed over his chest in triumph. Kindaichi wanted nothing more than to wipe it clean off of his face.  
  
Kageyama took a few steps forward, lifting the butt of the revolver high in the air and crashing it against the base of Kindaichi’s skull, causing him to collapse instantly. Hinata stepped a half step forward and nudged him with the toe of his dress shoe. Kindaichi didn’t respond, his body limp and out cold. “Goodnight Turnip-Head. Sweet dreams,” Hinata said in a sing-songy voice. “Kageyama, that was amazing!”  
  
When he looked up Kageyama had already moved over to Tanka, who lay in the dirt just like he had before. His eyes were wide open in shock, but his chest still rose and fell with a regular rhythm. Kageyama’s fingers were pressed against the underside of the man’s jaw, checking for a constant pulse. He didn’t turn to face Hinata when he began to speak. “He seems stable. Must have been a sort of paralyzer or tranquilizer. Go check his truck for anything useful and then help me get these two into our truck. Kindaichi is going to get his ass kicked the next time he wakes up.”  
  
Hinata did as he was told, throwing open the passenger side door of the truck their “dealer” had come in. He inspected everything, from the coins in the cup holder, to under the floor mates, to the back of the truck and found nothing. There was no sign of who sent the attacker, or of the shipment they had been sent here to pick up, only Kindaichi’s half drank coffee and lint between the seats.  
  
When Hinata finally got back to their own truck, Kageyama had already opened the back and shoved Tanka’s stiff body inside, propping it between two crates. It looked like a tight squeeze and Hinata swore he could see Tanaka’s face contorted in discomfort but Kageyama assured him it was fine. “Can’t have him sit in the front seat. He might start panicking when he regains enough motor function. I have not clue if he’s actually aware of what’s going on or if his eyes are stuck open,” Kageyama explained, proceeding to grab the spare rope from the back of the truck, gesturing at the unconscious man. “Drag him over here so I can tie him up and throw back here as well.”  
  
Hinata grumbled something about being the lapdog of the operation, fetching things for Kageyama but his associate didn’t respond. Kindaichi was heavier than he looked, and it was nearly impossible for Hinata to drag his limp form over but he did.  
  
By the time Kageyama and Hinata had their captive all tied up and tossed precariously in the back of the truck, it had begun to get dark, the first couple stars poking out of the fabric of the sky. They jumped into the cabin, Kageyama insisting on driving as they turned around and headed back to headquarters, speeding a good ten miles over the speed limit Hinata was sure.  
  
Somewhere in the middle of the highway, after Tanka’s IPod has angrily been shut off, Hinata cleared his throat and looked at Kageyama’s tense form. “What did they want with you? Who was that man?”  
  
A long pause grew in the truck, the streetlights passing across Kageyama’s face, changing his expression for him. Eventually he softened and responded. “I don’t know who sent him. Yūtaro Kindaichi was a man I went to school with a long time ago. We talked for a while after we graduated but just sort of fell out of touch. We were really close once so I don’t understand…” He trailed off, now lost in thought.  
  
“Hey but what you did was so badass! Getting the gun out of his hand. Saying those things that yakuza members say in movies.” Hinata pushed his hair down to cover his face haphazardly and attempted his best scowl. “ ‘I have no reason to keep you alive.’ “ He burst out laughing at his own impression.  
  
Kageyama’s face dropped, unamused. “This isn’t a game Hinata. You have to learn how to fight back, protect yourself.”  
  
“I did!” He crossed his arms over his chest defensively.  
  
“No you didn’t! You ran right into danger and then stood there until I made a move. You could have died dumbass.” Kageyama gripped the steering wheel tighter, the knuckles turning bone white against the darkness.  
  
“No I wouldn’t,” he said matter-of-factly, “I knew you would have saved me.”  
  
Kageyama glanced at him through the corner of his eye quickly before shifting his eyes back to the road. “I could have let you die.”  
  
“But you didn’t, you wouldn’t have. That’s all that matters.” Hinata shrugged believing his words were the same level of unwavering fact as the sun rising to create a new day or the moon creating the rise and fall of the tides. To him, Kageyama just is and he would never let him go out like that.  
  
“You put a lot of trust into someone you’ve only known for two weeks,” sneered Kageyama as he flicked on the turn signal to finally pull off the highway. They weren’t too far now.  
  
“Why wouldn’t I trust you? You’re on my side, on my team. With you, I have nothing to loose.”  
  
Kageyama chuckled, pulling into the garage, parking and turning off the engine. He looked over to where Hinata stared at him so intensely he felt as if he was viewing the early morning sun. He swallowed, opening his mouth as if to say something and then promptly closed it again. “Kings rule alone Hinata. Come on, we need to get these two inside before Sugawara takes a chunk out of the both of us.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So guys... I apologize for this taking so long to write. Just the typical business with school and then writer's block on top of that. At least this chapter is pretty shippy so that will make up for the really long hiatus! Please please leave a comment, helps keep me motivated in the shadow of writer's block. Hope you enjoy it!

“Tanaka, you just can’t capture every person who crosses our path and bring them here,” scolded Daichi, his arms crossed over his wide chest as he stared at their new prisoner.  


Kindaichi sat tied to the same chair Hinata had all of two weeks ago, his chin resting against his chest as it rose and feel, drool trickling down his chin. The man looked pathetic, tattered suit removed except for his stained and ripped slacks, gravel dust and blood from the force of the hit matted throughout his hair and had obviously trickled down his chest. He was stripped of everything, including his pride.  


“I told you, it wasn’t me this time. If I had the chance I would have killed the bastard on the spot.” Tanaka stood behind Kindaichi, leaning over him and glaring as if planning how to kill him in the most painful way he could imagine. He was fine now, the drug out of his system thanks to Sugawara’s semi-expert care. He re-donned his ancient letterman’s jacket over an aged white tee. His jeans were shredded at the knees but that was the state of most of his pants anyway. He glanced up towards Daichi who simply gave a disapproving glare and Tanaka retreated back to the other side of the room where Hinata and Kageyama stood.  


Kindaichi’s head rolled from one shoulder to the other as a groan escaped his lips. For a moment he attempted to struggle against the bindings in order to get more comfortable. Groggily he tried again and when he realized he couldn’t move, Kindaichi’s eyes snapped open, attempting to take in the entire room in one glance but his eyes refused to focus against the light.  


“Look who finally decided to join us,” Daichi said, taking a few steps forward and sliding his gloved hand into the back of Kindaichi’s hair, grabbing the locks close to he roots and yanking hard. Kindaichi’s neck snapped back sharply, squeezing his eyes shut a few times before reopening them before meeting Daichi’s. “I heard you made a fool of yourself and threatened to kill my agents. The last man who did that wound up dead, jaw smashed on the curb with no memorial.”  


The only thing that came out of Kindaichi’s mouth was a strangled groan, his face contorted in a sort of uncomfortable agony. Daichi lowered his voice until if was barely above a quiet growl. “You better tell me who sent you and why before I send the Bulldog after you.”  


Tanaka thin lips curled into a wild sneer as his eyes met Kindaichi’s fearful expression. He swallowed roughly, eyes moving back to Daichi’s cigar brown eyes, the anger mal-intention making them glaze over. “I’m not the one who has too look over my shoulder for beasts,” Kindaichi replied, each word scratching out of his impossibly dry throat.  


Daichi’s face came closer as he yanked back on Kindaichi’s hair even harder, making a tiny whine escape his agape mouth, his hot breath grazing the side of Daichi’s face. “I’m going to ask you once more and if I don’t receive the answer I’m looking for, I think you’ll find Tanaka’s methods more,” he paused and thought a moment, _“beastly.” _  
__

____

“You aren’t the only one who wants possession of the King,” his eyes flickered to Kageyama momentarily, “but I would rather _die _before I send the Bulldog after their trail.”  
__

____

Daichi pulled back and suddenly as he was there, eyes narrowing and burning like the embers left over in an ashtray, his fingers slipping from their painfully tight grip. “I’m sure we can arrange that.”  


He gave Tanaka a knowing look, gestured to both Kageyama and Hinata to follow him and then stalked angrily out the door. Tanaka gave a low laugh that came from the back of his throat as his right hand slid into the inner pocket of his letterman’s jacket, grabbing something hidden there.  


On his way out, Kindaichi meet Kageyama’s eyes, almost pleading for his once friend to do something to protect him. Kageyama shoved his hands into his pants pockets and walked out, not even sparing a passing glance, Hinata following excitedly as his heals.  


The brass knuckles shimmered against the dim lighting as Tanaka slid them over his bony fingers and a maniacal laugh escaped his chest. “I’ve been wanting to do this since you knocked me out you little fucker. Let’s see what pretty shades of maroon and plum you bruise shall we?”  


The first shriek broke their comfortable silence as they both walked down the hallway, the door to the interrogation room proceeding to slam shut not even a beat later. “What do you think Daichi wants from us? Do you think he’s going to give us some special promotion for nabbing a bad guy?” Hinata asked, overtly excited.  


Kageyama hunched a little further forward and stared intently at the age old gouges marring the concrete flooring and gave a little sigh. “We’ll have to see.”

************************************************************************************************************************************************** 

Sugawara sat on the corner of Daichi’s desk, talking to him in a low and gentle voice, fingers moving to brush the side of Daichi’s face every once in a while. Hinata of course thought very little of it as he squinted, attempting to see if there was anything smeared on Daichi’s face Sugawara needed to wipe off. Their eyes stayed locked on one another, a loving smile painting Daichi’s features in a way neither of them had seen before. Kageyama cleared his throat.  
Both men’s heads snapped to look at the door, their momentary surprise melting into a contained and cool confidence as Sugawara slid off the edge of the desk and moved to his designated spot at Daichi’s side. The two newcomers moved from the open doorway towards his desk, giving a short bow before standing there awkwardly.  


“I’ve read your report on Kindaichi,” Daichi began, shifting through the papers littering his desk until he found the one with Kageyama’s blockish handwriting. He glanced it over once more, turning the single sheet over in his hands. “Huh, I thought there was a second paper stapled to this.” He placed it back on the stack of various other documents on the table and laced his fingers in front of him. ”Regardless, it’s substantial but I wanted to ask you in person Kageyama, if there is anything else I should be aware of.”  


“Everything is already in the report sir,” he replied, shoving his hands into the pockets of his slacks.  


Hinata stayed silent but noticed the subtle change in Daichi’s expression that betrayed his suspicion. As far as Hinata knew everything was in the report, he looked over it himself and added some details here and there. Though seeing Daichi’s suspicion, it began to sow a seed of doubt his mind. _What would Kageyama have left to hide? _he thought.  
__

____

A low hum came from Daichi’s throat. “Good. I hope Tanaka can get something useful out of him before anything else unexpected happens. For now, we are going to carry on as planned with our daily routine. I believe that will be-”  


“Isn’t Hinata supposed to talk to Tanaka today about his tattoo?” Suga interrupted.  


Hinata’s eyes glowed and his body began to tremble with excitement. “My tattoo? Really?”  


“I don’t know if it’s a good or a bad thing you’re so excited about getting our mark on your arm. But yes. I forgot to mention since you have shown your loyalty and dedication to Kurasuno, Suga and I determined it is time for you to receive yours,” Daichi said, leaning forward on his elbows, chin resting on his hands. His voice lacked the luster and pride that Hinata imagined he would have in this moment. He seemed more tired or more indifferent to the whole situation than anything, but Hinata couldn’t bring himself to care.  


“How long did Kageyama have to wait before he received his?” Hinata asked teasingly, always attempting to one up him.  


Kageyama grumbled at him from under his breath and sent his usual death glare but it didn’t stop Hinata’s big mouth from running.  


Suga placed a hand on the back of Daichi’s desk chair, causing him to glance up then back to his other members. “Kageyama got his almost immediately. I assume Tanaka is going to be busy for the next hour if he doesn’t get too carried away. He’ll meet you in the dining room after he’s finished.”  


“Not fair! Why did- “  


“Hinata,” Kageyama’s voice startled them, cold and commanding. “That’s enough. If that is all sir, I would like to take my leave.”  


Daichi measured Kageyama’s expression but then raised a hand and gave a carefree wave. “You are free to go.”  


Kageyama gave a slight nod out of respect then stormed out of the room in his usual manor, shoulders taught like the threat of an oncoming storm. Hinata watched him go, and then turned back to his boss, taking a few steps forward to stand at the desk before he respectfully gave a bow. “Sir, a question if I may ask.”  


“You don’t have to bow to just ask a simple question but go ahead,” Daichi said. Suga crossed his arms from behind the chair and watched Hinata with extreme care.  


“What the hell is Kageyama’s problem? He’s always temperamental and broody and just plain rude. Not to mention he always acts like he’s better than everyone else. What happened to make him such an asshole?”  


The corner of Suga’s mouth turned up in a slight smirk but neither man immediately answered, the afternoon light pouring through the large office window behind Daichi, making the edges of his hair glow a gentle gold. He gave a heavy sigh. “He’s only been here since September. We know him as well as you do.”  


Hinata shoved his hands in his pockets, clearly pissed off from the lack of a clear answer. “Not to argue sir, but you and I both know that isn’t true. You are the head of everything here, you of all people have to know where your employees come from and why they’re here.”  


“I told you he was going to ask about Kageyama eventually,” Suga said to Daichi, tossing a confident smile in his direction. Daichi scowled and Suga continued. 

“Kageyama’s circumstance is completely different than yours. If you want to know go talk to him yourself because it’s not our place to disclose anything to you. A bit of compassion goes a long way with him.”  


Hinata pouted, shoulders drooping slightly as he sighed in defeat. “I’m going to drive him insane until he tells me.”  


Sugawara chuckled slightly and glanced at the thin watch that adorned his wrist. “Tanaka should be done with Kindaichi soon. You better go find him.”  


Hinata bowed once more in a semblance of a goodbye and retreated from the office. When the door closed, Daichi rested his forehead against the smooth, cool wood of his desk and groaned dramatically. Suga placed a gentle hand on the back of his head, petting the back of his hair. “Why did we let him join again?” he mumbled into the varnish.  


“Because I almost killed him and he knows company secrets?”  


“Right…”  


A thin hand slid under Daichi’s chin, forcing him to pull his forehead away from the desk and look up at Suga. The afternoon light caught his amber eyes, making them shimmer with the same vibrant glow as the setting sun, his smile as pale as a waning moon. “He’s going to be a pain in the ass. I hope the world doesn’t ruin him.”  


“Seems hypocritical coming from the right hand man of a drug ring,” Daichi replied as he leaned into Sugawara’s hand cupping his face. He closed his eyes and rested there. “I can’t help but agree with you though. I hope he turns out being the boost we need. Him and Kageyama.”  


“I’m worried about Kageyama too,” Suga admitted. “Keeping him around is a liability to everyone. We can’t risk any more lives since Nishinoya and Asahi aren’t here.”  


Daichi hummed, reaching up to lace his fingers with Suga’s and hold his hand against his face. His eyes stayed peacefully closed. “I know love… I know. But Kageyama held his own with Kindaichi.”  


“Kindaichi is one man. First Nekoma, now this. If we aren’t more careful-“  


“I know,” Daichi snapped at Suga, causing him to jerk his hand back but Daichi refused to let go. His face melted into a sorrowful expression, acknowledging he startled him. “I’m sorry, it’s just… I know what’s at stake. We’d be safest if we had Nishinoya and Asahi here. Possibly hire more members too.” He gave a heavy yawn.  


“I’ll make sure to call Kiyoko sometime this week and have her scout for us all right? We could use any help we can get. For now I think you should sleep. You haven’t gotten any rest in the last two days.” He ran a thumb slowly across Daichi’s cheekbone.  


He gave a quiet hum, releasing Suga’s hand, the sudden absence of warmth leaving him uncomfortable. “Will you come to bed with me?”  


Sugawara rolled his eyes, smiling to himself. “Maybe in a while. I still have some paper work to sort through. Go on without me.”  


Daichi stood, pushing in his chair and walking towards the office door, yawning once more. “I’ll give you twenty minutes,” he said before walking out, not even taking the time to listen to Suga’s answer.  


Now alone, Suga slid into Daichi’s desk chair, pulling himself closer to the desk and still smiling as he began sorting through the piles upon piles of documents until he found the newspaper he was looking for. He eyed the picture of younger Kageyama on the front page, his father standing close to him and shaking another man’s hand. 

“Let’s see what you’re hiding shall we?”

************************************************************************************************************************************************** 

Hinata basically skipped to the dinning room, his whole body alight with and excited and nervous fire. He had dreamt of this day since he became a member, no even before that. He had dreamt of this day since his small child fingers traced the dark lines of the kanji on Little Giant’s skin. Even now he could still picture it in his mind, every rise and fall of the inky design, the way it caused the skin to rise slightly and if you closed your eyes you could still make out what the tattoo was with your fingertips. Hinata remembered being wildly unafraid even though he should have been, and he remembered his gaze catching on the edge of another tattoo that peaked out from under the edge of Little Giant’s collar as he walked away. For years now, Hinata imagined what that hidden tattoo was, mind running freely through every image it could conjure.  


Now he was stretched out classlessly on the dinning room floor next to the table, turning his hands over and over in the air above him. He stared intensely at his own wrist where the new marking would go, utterly fixated on something that had yet to happen.  


The door slid open as Tanaka stormed in the room, moving towards the connecting door to the kitchen, almost tripping over Hinata in the process and grumbling at him before moving towards the fridge. He had changed once more and smelled of mint and aftershave, his letterman’s jacket nowhere to be found. His blue-grey eyes were bright and lively with left over adrenaline.  


Hinata jumped from the floor and followed Tanaka into the kitchen like an eager lapdog, standing behind him as Tanaka shifted through the leftover contents in the fridge looking for his melon-pan. He shoved the roll in his mouth and turned back to Hinata, dramatically slamming the fridge door behind him. “Did Kindaichi say anything useful?” Hinata asked, moving out of the way so Tanaka could sit at the dining room table.  


He sat down with a groan and pulled the melon-pan out of his mouth, swallowing his bite before answering Hinata. “Classified. Though I admit, he has a very pretty scream.”  


Hinata sat across from him, watching Tanaka devour his roll happily as he made small content noises every once in a while. Every one of Tanaka’s knuckles were bruised a deep blue, appearing to be spilled ink across the taut tan skin there. Hinata gestured to them. “Your hands…”  


Tanaka popped the rest of the melon-pan into his mouth, chewing it before swallowing it in one quick motion before looking at the expanse of his sore hands. He tenderly rubbed out both of his hands, gently brushing his knuckles as he did so. He shrugged. “Sometimes the only way to get the information you want is to hurt yourself a little bit in the process. I bruise them a lot.”  


A little huff escaped Hinata’s lips. “You might as well be Buddha with all the cryptic advice you spit out.”  


Tanaka stood and stretched his sore body, pulling one arm above his head and looked down at Hinata’s still sitting form. “You’ve been around Kageyama too long. Sarcasm isn’t befitting of you. Now you better have eaten today otherwise this tattoo might be a bitch for you,” he replied as he turned to walk out the door and expected Hinata to follow him. Hinata practically jumped up and ran eagerly after Tanaka.

************************************************************************************************************************************************** 

“Ready kid?” Tanaka asked, tattoo gun poised above Hinata’s wrist and humming with electricity.  


“Not going to hurt is it?” He sat in the chair trying not to tremble with a mix of terror and elation, wide eyes staring at the humming gun in Tanaka’s gloved hand. His body was already sweaty and sticking to the worn and pealing leather chair.  


They were in Tanaka’s own bedroom, an ancient tattoo parlor chair brought in and shoved in the corner, ready for when anyone wanted a new tattoo. Next the chair to the left sat a small makeshift table made from plastic bins and above that was three shelves filled with ink bottles of every color under the sun, rainbow ordered. Everything Tanaka used for the tattoo was extremely sterile and a blinding while light was turned on above the chair in order to have the proper light, but everything else in the bedroom sat in precarious and disgusting piles. Hinata swore he smelled week old food and gym socks but he couldn’t tell if it was real or his imagination.  


Tanaka gave something that resembled a reassuring smile. “It doesn’t really hurt. You’ve seen all of my tattoos and a lot of them I’ve done myself for practice over the years. If I can tattoo myself, you can handle this. Just look somewhere else or whatever.”  


Hinata did as he was told, eyes scanning the rest of the room as best he could with the blinding light above the both of them. He noticed just how much crap Tanaka really had, piles upon piles of clothes scattered about, bedding disheveled as if the bed hadn’t been made in years, the random wrappers littering the floor around the various tables and bed. There was a poster of a rather scandalous looking woman clad only in a tight bikini at a beach hanging on the wall, staring directly at the onlooker and blowing a kiss. He grimaced back at her and winced when the needle finally touched his skin.  


It wasn’t a stabbing pain, more of a dragging feeling, metal pulling at his skin and leaving ink in his wake. The more he thought about it, the more nauseous Hinata grew until suddenly his vision began to swim. He didn’t say anything to Tanaka though, not wanting to embarrass himself and leaned his head back to rest it against the headrest behind him, closing his eyes tightly.  


“See? Not that bad, huh kid?” Tanaka said, taking a paper towel and wiping the excess ink and welling blood off his skin. After a few moments, Hinata still hadn’t answered and Tanaka raised his eyes from his artwork to look at the side of his face. “Hinata,” he called again but still nothing.  


Tanaka placed the gun on his makeshift table and shook Hinata’s shoulder gently but Hinata still didn’t respond, body limp under his hands. “Son of a _bitch _,” Tanaka cursed under his breath. Hinata was out cold, passed out from either fear or lack of a solid meal that day. He stood and left the passed out man in the chair, tossing his gloves in the trash and leaving the room momentarily.  
__

____

Only a few minutes later, Sugawara followed Tanaka back into his room and Tanaka gestured at Hinata angrily. “What the hell am I supposed to do with this?”  
Sugawara smiled a gentle smile and walked over to the leather chair, Hinata’s head had rolled to one side now, mouth wide open and tongue pushed barely passed his teeth. He started to snore.  


After snapping next to his ear a few times, Sugawara concluded that there was no way in hell Hinata was going to wake up anytime soon. He was out cold. Suga turned back to Tanaka and shrugged. “Just finish it. I don’t think he’s going to wake up until long after you’re done.”  


“If you think so,” Tanaka replied, sliding on another pair of latex gloves, repositioning Hinata’s wrist on his lap and grabbing the gun once more. “If he wakes up and freaks out, I’m going to blame you if the tattoo gets fucked up.”  


Suga walked to the doorframe and turned. “I think we have bigger things to worry about besides one messed up tattoo. First Nekoma and now it looks like we have the remains of Sejōh after us. What were you able to beat out of Kindaichi?”  


Tanaka swallowed, guilt attempting to pick at his insides regarding Nekoma but he ignored it and continued painting the ink into Hinata’s wrist. The passed out man didn’t do so much as twitch, every muscle in his body limp, making it much easier to tattoo his skin. “I assume you want it in a full report. You know Suga, our jobs would be easier if you didn’t make us write up some stupid report every time something happens around here.”  


“You and I both know I do it for security reasons and to have some sort of continuity between stories. What did he say?”  


Tanaka dipped the needle of the gun into the black inkbottle on the makeshift table and turned back to his work. “He screamed most of the time but I was able to drag a name out of him. Ō. As in King. Then the syllables would just devolve after that. I’m not sure if he was mumbling about Kageyama or not. He keeps calling him King.”  


“ _Ō? _Kageyama is the heir to the Ō Financial Group fortune. I believe that’s where the nickname comes from. Could be his crabby ass attitude though.” Suga said as he shoved his hands in his pockets, running a thumb across the familiar kanji carved into his knife handle and pressing his shoulder into the wood of the frame.  
__

____

“So Sejōh is after Kageyama for his fortune? But remember the night Kageyama came to our doorstep like a dumbass, he said that Oikawa sent him. If Oikawa was after Kageyama and his fortune, why would he send him to us instead of returning him to his father?”  


A low hum came from Suga’s throat. “That’s what I’ve been trying to figure out all along. I’ve been pouring over document after document and so far I haven’t been able to find any direct link between Oikawa and Kageyama Sr.”  


Tanaka followed up the curve of the last line and placed the tattoo gun down, gently wiping the excess ink and beading blood of Hinata’s skin before rubbing cream on it and wrapping it in cellophane. “There is a connection somewhere, problem is I believe we don’t have access to it. It’s probably in Sejōh’s old files.”  


“Even though you’re usually the brawn of our operation, you have good ideas from time to time-“  


“I resent that,” Tanaka interrupted, pealing off his gloves and tossing them. Hinata continued to snore and Suga laughed.  


“You know I don’t mean it seriously.” He paused and pondered a moment. “Currently I have Kiyoko out digging up information and keeping an eye out for new recruits. I’ll have her keep an eye out for someone who could help us access Sejōh’s old documents is they haven’t been erased already.”  


“I don’t think Oikawa is the sort of man to just delete things he could potentially use as blackmail. Even if he can’t use it, he would be too vain to delete his life’s work.”  


Sugawara huffed. “I should have killed the bastard when I had the chance. We wouldn’t have this problem if I slit his throat.”  


Tanaka’s eyes rolled as he crossed his arms and swiveled in his chair to face Suga. “I don’t think Daichi would have let you kill him. You know how he is.”  


“Pisses me off. But yes, that’s why I keep him around. Less people die when he’s here. He’s probably waiting for me. Made me promise him to curl in bed with him.” Suga turned and gave a slight wave before walking out the door.  


A grin pulled at the corner of Tanaka’s lips and he left Hinata passed out in the chair before stalking off to the balcony for what he decided, was a well-deserved smoke.

************************************************************************************************************************************************** 

The only light in the office was the flicker of city lights through the maw of the window; everything sat cast in a mix of semi-orange light and shadow and filled only with the shallow sound of his nervous breathing.  


He was coming off of a high and could feel it deep in his bones; the anxious, nauseating rush that made his whole body tremble slightly like a leaf in the wind. He swallowed hard, closing his eyes and attempted to push the yawning, the tears and the nausea from himself for a little longer. Kageyama was beginning to run low, his habit growing progressively worse and less satisfying over time, and the last thing he wanted to do was kneel in front of Daichi and ask for more.  


Quietly he shuffled over to Daichi’s desk, acutely aware of the door cracked behind him and moved to face it in order to not be caught off guard. He sat down in the mighty chair, the leather and cushion slightly enveloping his body and reminding him just how exhausted he was. He wanted to stay there and close his eyes, rest a moment like he hadn’t been able to do in a long time.  


A memory crept through Kageyama’s mind, image jumping and skipping like a worn tape reel until it suddenly snapped into painful clarity. A large leather chair not unlike this one, the scent of lemon wood polish, the feeling of thin carpet threatening to burn his small, exposed knees.  


His father’s figure had loomed in the chair above his tiny body crouched under the desk; legs curled under him and ready to pounce when at the moment his father had finally drawn close enough. The same nervous energy coursed through his body now but for a different reason. Younger Kageyama has reached out to grab on his father’s pant leg to startle him, giving a tiny roar.  


As suddenly as the memory was there, it was gone, the tape of his memory devolving into mere feelings and colors and the harder Kageyama searched for what his mind lost, the further away it began to seem.  


He opened his eyes again, readjusting to the dimness of the office, retracting his claws from the leather and hoping it didn’t leave any obvious marks. After taking a moment to clear his mind of the ghosts left by his memory, Kageyama began picking through the papers littering the wooden surface of the desk, reading each prevalent paper with expert glances and placing it back where he found it.  


He was near giving up, the only thing he found being papers about this experience with Kindaichi, Hinata’s arrival weeks ago and his own sudden appearance. The uneasy feeling of constantly being watched grew in his chest and he paused to look about the room although he knew no one would be around because of the hour and he was unable to pick out any cameras in the darkness. He was confident Daichi would not keep any cameras in here because of its lack of benefit, and the fact that he was sure Daichi and Sugawara conducted themselves in very a unbusiness-like manor from time to time, voices held by the four walls and papers disorganized because they suddenly fell to the floor before having to be cleaned up later. If they were trying to keep their romance a secret from every one else, it wasn’t working.  


The paper on the bottom of the growing pile that needed to be filed was one with his father’s company name in large letters on the front, papers with revenue and stock ownership filing behind it. Kageyama scanned the packet, eyes trailing through various facts and figures in the business report from the last two years. His mind attempted to work through every possibility, every reason why the Kurasuno Company would need the fiscal report but he kept drawing up short.  


He was about to toss the report back in the paper grave it belonged to but his eyes caught on an old article stapled to the back. His younger self looked back at him with glittering eyes and a convincingly happy expression. Kageyama of course knew how much he hated that particular event with his father, but anyone else gazing at the picture would have been fooled by the man he used to be. Kageyama scowled at himself, berating his past self for carrying that second suit as if it were a second skin, how he appeared as a twin light near his father, mirror image of what he was supposed to grow up to be. Hatred for everything his father was welled up in his chest, threatening to take control and force him to tear everything in this room apart, including himself. Then a sense of desolateness washed over it, drowning it like a swirling black sea. Kageyama sighed and shoved the paper, crumpling its edges back where it belonged.  


He looked over the table one more time, making sure he didn’t miss anything important in his search and caught some figures in red out of the corner of his eye. He tugged it out and took one look over, taking in how many zeros were at the end of each number, how everything stood in a bold red against the darkness. It was a bill for thousands of yen, a debt from Tanaka to Nekoma Inc. over the last few months alone. His mind kept turning the numbers over and over, eyes narrowing at the bill and tugging back out the fiscal report from his father’s company, turning over pages until the names began to match up.  


“Son of a bitch,” Kageyama muttered under his breath, half of the mystery clicking in his brain. What Daichi and Sugawara had kept from him about the fragile state of the gang suddenly made sense. “Goddamn Tanaka.”  


He pulled back from the desk and rapidly opened drawers, shifting through contents that he would have rather not seen, careful not to touch Daichi’s favorite revolver and found a blank scrap of paper and pen. Quickly, he scribbled down the upper address on the bill from Nekoma Inc., the total of Tanaka’s debt and some other various bits of information he assumed might be useful when there was a random rap at the door.  


Kageyama nearly jumped out of his skin but stayed perfectly still, hoping it was something that emerged from his withdrawal but the quiet noise came again, a little louder this time and accompanied by a tired yawn.  


The door creaked open and Kageyama’s heart leapt into his throat as he shoved that valuable scrap of paper into the pocket of his jeans and slid out of the seat. “For fuck sake…” he groaned, rubbing the open palm of his hand roughly against his forehead.  


“Kageyama… I was looking for you,” came Hinata’s exhausted voice as he trailed into Daichi’s office, running a hand through his already tousled hair.  


Kageyama’s heart jumped in his throat again after looking at Hinata’s small figure in the darkness. The city lights cast long shadows on his tired face, masking the bags that underlined his bright eyes. His hair stuck up in all directions and his pajamas clung loosely to his body, white shirt cut into a V to expose the hallow of his throat and sweat pants tied a little too low on his hips, the pale skin of his midriff peaking out.  


“W- why?” Kageyama asked after stuttering himself back into composure. He could feel the heat rise in his cheeks and honestly couldn’t tell if it was from his withdrawal or Hinata. He cleared his throat and more confidently added. “What the hell do you want?”  


“Hm,” he said sleepily, walking over to Daichi’s desk without a single thought of why Kageyama would be in here this late at night anyway. He stuck out his arm, cellophane gone and skin slightly inflamed and raised. “I wanted to show you. Doesn’t it look badass?”  


“Idiot,” Kageyama mumbled, tugging up the edge of his long sleeve shirt to expose his tattoo in the darkness. “You know all of us have them.”  


Hinata grabbed his exposed wrist suddenly, jerking him forward and staring intently at the tattoo on Kageyama’s wrist, all healed and not pealing anymore. Kageyama’s hand slapped on the desk to keep himself from falling as he leaned uncomfortably forward, his hips digging into the wood’s sharp edge but he couldn’t pull away from Hinata. “Yeah but yours is slightly different.”  


Kageyama’s eyes narrowed at Hinata who was still intensely staring at his wrist, thumb moving to trail the tattoo’s various curves and edges and Kageyama attempted his best not to squirm under the touch. It was beginning to grow overwhelming, his whole body already set on edge from withdrawal and now over stimulated. “Tanaka gives everyone the same tattoo. That’s the point,” Kageyama replied, voice low in his throat.  


Hinata looked up at him, releasing his wrist and jutting his own towards Kageyama. “Look closely. Mine has a slightly orange outline. Yours has a slightly blue one.”  


Kageyama pulled back and placed his wrist next to Hinata’s, taking a moment to inspect the both of them in the dim lighting. At first he thought Hinata was full of shit, tired and delirious but the longer he looked, the more he could see the sunlit orange outlining Hinata’s black kanji like an eclipse compared to the bruised darkness of his own. “You’re right.”  


"Wait wait. Say that again!” Hinata leaned in closer, his hair still a mop but his eyes more vibrant and awake, reflecting the flickering city lights like a crow’s scanning the skyline.  


“I didn’t say anything. You just may or may not be correct is all,” Kageyama replied, pulling the sleeve back over his wrist and crossing his arms.  


Hinata’s childish grin grew on his face, making it impossible to look away from its brightness. “You said I’m right! Kageyama admitted I’m right! I need to put this on the calendar. ‘The day Kageyama admitted Hinata was right about something.’”  


“Shove it up your ass,” He grumbled, shoving hands back into his jean pockets, hand gripping the paper with the information he stole as he stalked back around the desk and towards the door past Hinata.  


“Wait,” he called after Kageyama, “What are you doing in here?”  


Kageyama stopped in his tracks and mentally cursed at himself. He had hoped Hinata was so sleep deprived that he wouldn’t quite realize where they were and he would get away with something. Rapidly, he thought of something to cover his tracks.  


“There’s a mission I need to go on. Some of the paperwork I needed was in here so I came to grab it is all.” He stayed perfectly still, hoping Hinata would take the bait and leave him alone.  


He could hear Hinata’s bare near silent footsteps from behind him and he turned around to meet his shorter associate. Hinata looked up at him with a flaming curiosity. “You’re on a mission? Are you going all by yourself? What are you doing anyway?”  


Kageyama let out a big yawn and rolled his shoulders. Damn, the aches were beginning to get worse and his body grew more and more sluggish. If he wanted to do just what he was planning on, he would have to smoke some more and with Hinata following him around like a golden retriever, it didn’t seem like it would be possible any time soon. “It’s a secret Hinata. No one but me needs to know about it.”  


“I know about it.” He paused a moment, inspecting Kageyama’s weary face. “You don’t look well. There are tears in your eyes.” He reached up to brush them away but Kageyama took a half step back, avoiding his touch.  


He blinked, running the back of his sleeve against both of his eyes. “It’s because I’m tired.” Easily dismissing Hinata’s rather caring action.  


Hinata cocked his head slightly to the side, his joy melting into concern, continuing to study the lines of Kageyama’s face, making him incredibly uncomfortable. “You have to let people take care of you Kageyama, otherwise one day you’ll end up with no one.”  


Those words buried themselves somewhere deep inside of Kageyama and he swallowed roughly, attempting to dismiss the rising wave of pain he experienced, replacing his hands in his pockets where they belonged and turning to face the door. “I have to head out before it’s too late. Forget I was here alright?”  


He began to walk back into the hallway when Hinata lurched forward and grabbed Kageyama’s arm, forcing him to whirl back around and meet Hinata’s worried expression. “At least let me go with you. You look sick and should rest but you’re not going to listen to anything I say. Wherever you’re going, you shouldn’t go alone.”  


Kageyama didn’t pull away from Hinata’s touch, allowing himself the split second of hope that Hinata would be the one he could finally let in. _I don’t want to ruin you, _he thought, _I can’t let you sink with me. _The two parts of him were conflicted and fighting about what he should say in return. Hinata refused let go, his grip warm around Kageyama’s upper arm and solid like an anchor in a swirling black sea.  
____

_____ _

_____ _

“Kageyama…” Hinata whispered, giving a slight squeeze.  


Kageyama shook his head slightly and trailed back from wherever his mind his mind had wandered. He cleared his throat. “Hurry up and get dressed. I have to grab some things from my room. Meet me in the dinning room in twenty minutes.”  


The joy didn’t creep back into Hinata’s expression like Kageyama thought it would, only his words furrowed Hinata’s eyebrows and he waited another beat before dropping his hand from Kageyama’s arm, the lack of warmth painfully obvious. Hinata sighed. “As long as you think you’re okay enough to do this,” he said as he pushed back Kageyama and walked back towards his own room.  


Kageyama stood there for a moment after he had left, the image of Hinata’s face, vibrant sunburnt eyes, the wrinkle of his furrowed eyebrows, the slight curl of his lips attempting to burn itself into his memory. He began shaking then, realizing that the harder he tried to remember what Hinata just looked like, the more the image began to fade, just like his father’s face, just like the memory of his child-self hiding under the desk.  


He stood in the darkness for a few minutes, recomposing himself before he stalked back out of the room.


	5. Chapter 5

When Kageyama sauntered back into the shadowy dinning room, Hinata could tell he was buzzed. He was dressed in more casually than usual, a pair of deep blue jeans clinging to his hips, baby blue dress shirt unbuttoned to his collarbone, outlining every curve of his waist and an open ash grey vest. His hair was slicked back from his face, pupils wide from his recent high and glittering like twin stars in the darkness. Hinata could smell the smoke from the opium and something more, some cologne he snagged from Daichi probably.

He walked in; hands resting on his hips, a slight smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth from his high as he rolled his shoulders back a few times. “Are you ready? This is going to be a long night for the both of us.”

Hinata considered what he was wearing for a moment; feeling rather underdressed for the occasion, a simple sapphire blue and grey argyle sweater over his own pair of black jeans. He managed to smooth out his wild ginger hair forcing it to lie in a semi-presentable manor and allowing it to hang in his face. “You haven’t told me where we are going.”

Kageyama tugged a tiny piece of paper out of a vest pocket, giving it one glance over before refolding it and shoving it back where it belonged. “We need to find Oikawa. You have some sort of weapon don’t you?”

Hinata shook his head, still sitting at the table and looking up at his associate. “No,” he replied, voice lifting at the last note, making it sound more like a question than a statement.

Kageyama sighed and fished the world’s smallest pocket knife with a pink handle out of his pants and tossed it at Hinata who caught it and stared at it wide eyed. “Where did you get this?” he asked as he flicked it open, noticing it has a gooey black smear on the tip.

He leaned forward and plucked it out of Hinata’s hand, wiping the tip off with the handkerchief from his vest and then handed it back to Hinata. “I’ve had it since I was like fifteen. It’s useful if you just need to stab a man and run. Take care of it.”

Hinata stood, looking at the pocketknife again, turning it over and over in his hands carefully in order to not cut himself and then closed it and shoved it into his own pants pocket. “I will.” He gave a sheepish smile.

“Now we better hurry up. We are wasting the night light,” Kageyama said, tossing a smirk over his shoulder and heading out.

************************************************************************************************************************************************* 

The night felt as sharp as shattered glass, air cool and clean in early November. The streets were rather empty at this hour, the few people out only casting shadows as they stalked in and out of the night, either drunk or looking for drugs or just out and about causing all sorts of criminal trouble.

Hinata followed Kageyama through the maze of interlocking roads shrouded in the flickering candles of headlights and building windows, both silently moving along. “Kageyama, where are we going?” Hinata asked for what he swore was the millionth time.

“Shhh, we are looking for someone. Almost there,” he replied over his shoulder, pressing his body against the brick of the alley building and looking carefully around the corner. They stayed like that a moment, his midnight eyes scanning the cars and few people moving about the road. He glanced at the inside of his non-tattooed wrist, checking his watch and looking back to the stranger who passed by with their shoulders hunched and hood pulled high over their head. “Wait here,” he commanded.

Before he could hear a reply, Kageyama jumped out from his corner, grabbing the passerby and yanking them back hard. He pulled them back into the alley, threatening them to not scream as the chain wrapped tighter and tighter around their throat. _Where did he get nunchucks? _Hinata thought, keeping his mouth shut and taking a side step back as Kageyama threw the stranger hard against the wall and gripped their throat tightly in his hand, the nunchucks now dangling off to the side.__

____

The stranger’s hoodie had fallen back on their shoulders, revealing a man a handful of years older than Kageyama with bloodshot dark eyes, black hair cut close to his scalp and sticking up in all directions. His thick eyebrows furrowed in anger, making his whole face wrinkle like an aggressive German Shepherd. “Well shit kid. We all had thought you died,” he said, voice light and joking considering how he was practically helpless.

Kageyama’s grip tightened on the man’s throat, causing him to arch his head backwards in order to breathe easier. His hands gripped around Kageyama’s arm, nails attempting to claw at the fabric of his dress shirt but with no avail. Otherwise he didn’t struggle, just attempted to look as intimidating as possible when Kageyama’s upper lip curled in a snarl that would have made even Tanaka proud. “I don’t know what it’ll take you to learn that kings never die Matsukawa,” Kageyama bit back through gritted teeth. “Where the hell is Oikawa?”

Matsukawa burst into wild laughter, whole body shaking in amusement. “Gone for almost three months and now you come crawling back with the audacity to ask for Oikawa. Who do you think you are?”

Kageyama tightened his grip around Matsukawa’s neck, making every breath wheeze on its way out. “The man who is about to kill you if you don’t tell me where he is. I’m not fucking around.”

The German Shepard sneer stayed on his face, confidence oozing from him as if he was the one interrogating Kageyama and not the other way around. His bloodshot gaze shifted towards Hinata, making him feel terribly exposed as if through only a glance this man could know everything about Hinata, from who he was to who he wanted to be. Hinata swallowed roughly but said nothing, crossing his arms and tossing a bitter scowl back. “This shrimp is your little bitch isn’t he? That’s why you’re with Kurasuno now.”

Kageyama leaned closer, the violent anger clearly visible on his face as his voice dropped lower. “Don’t bring him into this. Where is Oikawa?” Every word in his question was punctuated, making it almost its own sentence as Matsukawa’s hands dropped from Kageyama’s arm and gave a shrug.

“I’m not going to tell you shit. I thought you were against owning _pets _,” he spat the word at Hinata, making him jump subtly then melted into furry.__

____

“Pe-“ Hinata began.

“Shut up!” Kageyama told him, attention moving back to his prisoner, hand loosening around him neck to allow him to speak. “He has nothing to do with this. Nothing is going to happen.”

“Bullshit. The Boss is pretty ticked you haven’t returned from Kurasuno,” his eyes shifted to the exposed kanji on Kageyama’s wrist, “And that you became a their little lap dog. Remember what happened to the last person to cross the Boss?”

“I wasn’t part of Sejōh when that happened and the name no longer holds any weight. You were bought out.”

Matsukawa attempted to take a deep breath that sounded like an asthmatic dog. “You’re stupid to think the Boss was just going to roll over that easily. You better keep your pet at your side, can’t say what might happen to him. Maybe we’ll kidnap him in your sleep and torture him, or maybe chain concrete to his feet and drown him,” he paused for a moment, looking back at Hinata and licking his lips. “Or even see what’s under all those clothes. He has a pretty body doesn’t he Kageyama?”

_“Shut the fuck up.” _Kageyama wrapped his other hand around Matsukawa’s throat, tightening his grip slowly and making the other man cough. “You better tell me where Oikawa is or I will leave you here to die.”  
__

Matsukawa’s eyes went wide, finally taking in the fact that he had pushed Kageyama too far and started scrambling for control. His hands moved wildly about, attempting to claw at anything he could reach but he was so weak with drug use and withdrawal, he was barely a threat and eventually stopped struggling. “Ne…nek…” he attempted.

“Hm?” Kageyama hummed, leaning one ear closer in order to hear better, his eyes dull with the thrill of violence.

“Neko…ma,” Matsukawa spit out, eyelids fluttering until they finally rolled into the back of his head and his whole body went lip. He sagged against the wall, Kageyama still holding him up by his throat with crushing force when Hinata lurched forward and grabbed his shoulder.

“Stop! You’re going to kill him.” Hinata tugged on Kageyama’s arm, trying to loosen his grip.

It took a moment for Kageyama to snap out of it, the midnight glitter seeping back into his eyes as he looked from Hinata’s terrified face to passed out Matsukawa. He retracted his fingers, observing the already deepening bruises he left on the man’s neck as his body slid down the brick wall into a limp unconscious pile. Hinata roughly pushed Kageyama out of the way as the man’s eyes went wide at what he’d done, hands shaking fiercely.

Hinata squatted and tilted one ear close to the unconscious man’s agape mouth, staying there a moment until he could feel a warm breath tickle his skin. He pulled back, moving Matsukawa so that he would lie in a more comfortable position that didn’t constrict his airway and stood up, facing Kageyama.

Kageyama’s eyes shifted downwards, avoiding Hinata as he clenched his hands in fists to keep them from shaking anymore and he took a deep breath but said nothing. His gaze stayed trained on Hinata’s shoes as the other man stepped closer. “What the _hell _?”  
__

“I-“

“He could have _died _Kageyama.”  
__

Kageyama finally met Hinata’s glare. “I know… I just- I don’t know what happened all right? He threatened you and me and-“ He felt Hinata’s hand reach out and touch his shoulder. He was quivering too against him but his touch was still grounding. Still sturdy.  
“You know how Sugawara was nice to you when we first met and then threatened to kill you the next moment?” Kageyama asked.

“Yeah I remember. It’s like that wasn’t it?” Hinata studied the worry lines etching Kageyama’s face in the darkness, noticing how Kageyama thought through every word before letting them tumble from his mouth.

“Yeah… Just like that.” He held Hinata’s gaze, noticing the fear begin to fade from his face and replaced with something else. Kageyama didn’t pull away from Hinata’s touch, standing there and almost relishing in it. He chided himself for letting Hinata in, for letting their relationship get this far. He closed his eyes, sighed and when he reopened them, all of his weakness dissipated. “C’mon, we still have places we need to go tonight.”

Kageyama pulled away and turned suddenly, leaning down to pick up his fallen nunchucks, sparing Matsukawa one more glance and stormed passed him into the open night alley. Hinata stayed there for a moment longer, mouth open to stop Kageyama but nothing came out. He kneeled next to Matsukawa once more, fingers sliding to press against his jugular to check his pulse, which seemed steady.

“I’m sorry,” he told the unconscious man before chasing after Kageyama who was already halfway down the block. “Wait up!” he called.

Kageyama didn’t slow, fishing that folded up paper back from his pocket and checking the address against the street signs. He glanced once up and down the road and then turned right, walking past the closed and dark department stores to the more run down side of town.

Hinata ran and caught up to him breathless, panting and fell in stride. “Where are we going?”

“To the most popular brothel owned by Nekoma Inc. It’s in a suburb outside of Roppongi so it’s going to be a little bit of a walk.”

“Sejōh was in Ikebukero. Why would Oikawa be with Nekoma?”

Kageyama sighed to himself, shoulders drooping slightly. He could feel the headache begin right between his eyes, the hammering bluntness that reminded him of his exhaustion. “Hinata I can’t handle your questions right now. Just trust me.”

Hinata’s eyes narrowed, clearly frustrated that everyone had been keeping him in the dark about everything recently but bit back a sarcastic remark. He thoughtfully rolled his bottom lip between his teeth as a taxi drove near and Kageyama waived it down.

They hopped in the back, the seats smelling strongly of cigar smoke, hurting Hinata’s lungs, and were ripped in various places, allowing the yellow foam to burst out. Kageyama spoke quickly and in a low voice to the driver who looked just as exhausted as they did through the rearview mirror. The driver nodded and punched in the address into his dashboard GPS before speeding down the nearly deserted road. The dashboard clock’s angry red numbers said 2:17 a.m.

All three men in the car sat in silence as the taxi moved along through the city streets, every light passing by and moving over Hinata’s face as he stared intently out the window like a puppy on his first long road trip. He watched the people move by in blurs of dark color, wondering where they were heading this late at night on a Thursday, imagining that maybe the older man was walking alone because he couldn’t sleep, worried about his wife in the hospital. He imagined the young man and woman walking arm and arm were dating, going back to an apartment after a movie. Or maybe they were brother and sister, spending time together on their day off a long workweek.

Hinata made stories for them all, imagining their lives to be less hectic and crazy than his own, wondering what sorts of hobbies these people had, what sort of dreams they harbored sleeping and awake.

It made his thoughts drift to his own sister. Natsu. The thin, lanky girl who he left with his father in Enoshima nearly three weeks ago. He thought about all the stories he used to tell her while growing up, ones about dragons and ghosts who emerged from T.Vs and she would believe them all, terrified at the prospect of anything that might harm her. Hinata always vowed to protect her from anything. He was her big brother after all.

As they grew older, she stopped believing in most of his stories, dismissing his tales as nonsensical myths he tried to convince her to be truth. He wondered to himself for a moment, thinking over her as the yellow lights passed across his face and they finally neared Roppongi, if his letter ever reached her hands and if she believed him.

Suddenly the taxi screeched to a halt, jerking Hinata from his deep thoughts and he watched Kageyama open the door, shoving a large wad of bills that was definitely more than what they owed before hopping out onto the curb. Hinata followed suit, climbing over the seat and sliding out of Kageyama’s door as he nodded to the driver in appreciation.

They were dropped off in front of a rather worn down looking building, some of the paint missing from the buildings worn walls, windows cloudy with ancient dust and illuminated by pale red lights. Above the front door hung a light sign with a large black cat arched in front of a windowsill with the name “The Cat’s Paw,” written in kanji underneath. A mixture of laughter, music from the bar and various conversations pieced together could be heard from outside.

Hinata looked up at the sign with certain distaste, mind processing what this place really was and it made his stomach churn. He turned to Kageyama scowling. “Would you mind telling me why we are at a brothel in Roppongi at two in the morning?”

“I have some unfinished business with Oikawa. I didn’t force you to come with me.” He took one more look up at the sign, gathering himself before moving forward.

“One more question,” Hinata called after him, causing Kageyama to turn around annoyed. “What did Matsukawa mean by ‘pet’ anyway?”

Kageyama groaned, hand running through his slicked back hair and getting caught. He pulled it out; smoothing the hair he had messed up and wiped the gel on his jeans. “I’d hope you didn’t ask me that. Most of the members of Sejōh and Nekoma have a personal courtesan for each member and those people are called ‘pets.’ Most of them are woman but some are men from time to time. Kurasuno is the only gang I’ve encountered that doesn’t stoop so low.”

“That’s awful…” Hinata stuffed his hands in his pockets, forgetting the pocketknife Kageyama had given him nestled there and wrapped a hand gently around it as if it would break under his touch. “The last pet… to cross Oikawa, what did they do them?”

Kageyama's stare stayed trained on Hinata. “He was the pet of Nekoma’s leader, Tetsurō Kuroo. Their leader wound up getting on the wrong side of Oikawa’s kindness so he ordered some of his lackies to kidnap Kuroo’s pet and torture him. Kuroo of course got him back but he never learned that it was Oikawa who ordered the attack. Now I believe they’re working together.”

“What the hell? How could someone just _do _that? I’m not in danger by being here am I?”  
__

“No. No one is going to know who you are because you recently joined and if I figure out where Oikawa is I’ll talk to him alone so he won’t see your face. I won’t let anything happen to you, promise.”

Hinata met his eyes and lips curled into a fragile smile. “Alright. I trust you. Let’s get this over with.”

Kageyama smirked back, a light air about him that Hinata hadn’t seen all night and turned back towards the door without saying a word, holding it open for Hinata after he slid some yens into the ticket machine next to its frame. He handed one to Hinata as they walked in.

Beyond the door was a bar filled with people of all kinds; courtesans, patrons, bar tenders and probably some gang members floating about undercover for deals. The air was thick with a sickly sweet smoke, reminding Hinata of cherries, mixed with the iron smell of human sweat and giving it an oddly friendly atmosphere. In the very center of the room sat a large circular stage with currently no one on it, the lights casting a dim red glow above it. All around the stage were chairs and tables, booths lining the walls on the right. To the left was the bar, most of the stools filled by men of all ages ordering drinks for themselves or the women that sat upon their laps. Close to the edge of the bar was an ascending staircase hidden in shadows, probably the entryway to whatever scandalous things happened in the maroon rooms upstairs.

Kageyama brushed Hinata’s elbow and gestured to one of the empty booths near the far edge of the center stage and they both walked over to sit down in it. They were hardly noticed, Kageyama leaning forward across the table to address Hinata in a very low voice. “Keep an eye out for Oikawa. Knowing him, he won’t pass down an opportunity to look accomplished so he’ll wear his trademark grey suit and teal shirt. Also don’t look suspicious.”

“Do you really think he’s here?” Hinata asked, scanning the people moving about the room, patrons and courtesans moving towards the tables at the center from the outskirts.

“This is where Matsukawa said he’d be so that’s our only lead-“ he began as music suddenly burst from the speakers on each side of the circular stage.

Both men whipped around to look towards the commotion as the lights dimmed and several beautiful women in robes sauntered onto the cherry red carpet of the stage, twirling around the pole stretching to the ceiling. There were three of them, all identical in their beauty, each robe a different shade of pink with tiny birds flittering across the silken fabric as they moved and blew kisses at their male patrons. After a few rotations around the center pole, they pulled paper fans in unison out of a fold in their robes and flicked it open, beginning to dance in time to the music filling the brothel.

The song made Hinata rather sleepy, his eyes unable to stay open and trained on the woman twirling to the rush of bells and flutes, pianos and strings as he began to relax and allow himself to sink further into the booth. They moved as liquid fire, robes sliding off of shoulders to reveal a thin silk undergarment that left little to the imagination as their fans moved in perfect harmony, slicing through the air like knives. The tallest one with a mole near her bottom lip paused and stared at Kageyama, winking and making a rather lewd gesture with her whole body. He could feel the heat rise in his cheeks, instinctively moving to cover his face.

Several whistles and cheers erupted from the men in the room when the music changed to something less calming and something more sensual, the women leaning forward the reveal the tops of their breasts and that was when Kageyama finally decided he couldn’t handle anymore, looking away. Across from him, Hinata began to snore soundly, face becoming one with the wood of the booth table and Kageyama has to suppress a chuckle. It figures he would fall asleep on an important mission.

At that moment among all the commotion, another man slipped into the brothel of short stature and a cocky smirk on his face. He was dressed in a simple long sleeve black t-shirt with random words across the back and jeans, both looking a little worse for wear. Everyone who looked could tell he was out of place, that he didn’t have the money to belong here, but luckily for him the only one looking was the bartender he called over.

He climbed onto one of the wooden stools, leaning forward onto the bar and taking no heed to the sexual dance enchanting everyone else behind him. He and the bartender locked eyes momentarily and the bartender took a moment to take in the man, noting the slight bags under his slanted brown eyes and how one tuft of hair in his spiked mess of a hairstyle was dyed dirty blond. The bartender’s face lit up with recognition. “Noy-“

The short stranger pressed a finger to his own smirking lips. “Shh. No one needs to know I’m here.”

The glass he picked up was already spotless but the bartender kept cleaning it anyway, swirling a worn rag around the bottom as his eyes flashed from one corner of the room to the other. “You don’t understand sir, Kuroo ordered us to poison any Kurasuno members on site. Things have gotten worse around here since you left.”

He pulled a thick wad of bills from inside his back pocket and slid it across to the bartender, looking over his shoulder to look at the still dancing courtesans. “Look Shibayama, do you understand how long they’ve had me locked up? All I want is some damn bourbon and maybe a young woman to spend the night with. Is that really so much to ask?”

Shibayama crouched down and pulled out some unopened bourbon for his friend, pouring it into the glass that he vigorously cleaned before sliding it back across the bar. “I knew you had gone to prison but not for this long. Do you understand how much danger you are in here Nishinoya?”

Nishinoya chuckled to himself and drank the whole glass on one large gulp before practically tossing it back to Shibayama. “You always forget the ice. Give me one night all right? If no one knows I’m free, than no one is going to notice I’m even here.”

A worried whine came from the bartender but he did as Nishinoya asked, taking one large circular ice cube out of the freezer behind the bar with tongs, refilled the glass and handed it back to him. “I’m only doing this because you saved my life once, that’s it.”

Nishinoya tipped back the glass, the cool liquor sliding past his lips and down his throat as he swallowed. “You wouldn’t make a very good murderer anyway,” he replied, half turned to watch the end of the courtesan’s dance and taking note of which woman he might want for he night. After the music ended, the women gave one last bow before heading back into the shadow in which they came, he finally turned back to the bar and addressed Shibayama. “So tell me what else has happened since they locked me up.”

Shibayama grabbed another practically clean glass and wiped every dust particle from its surface. “I’m just the bartender. They don’t tell me much.”

The look Nishinoya tossed him called _bullshit. _  
__

The bartender swallowed roughly, knowing that it was foolish to attempt to hide anything from Kurasuno’s best interrogator, even if he did it to protect him. “Okay fine. I don’t know a lot but I do know that Tanaka really has stirred some things up and pissed off Kuroo. I haven’t seen him here in a little over three months.”

Nishinoya hummed thoughtfully. “What did he do?”

Shibayama leaned forward over the bar, voice barely above a whisper and hard to hear because of the growing laughter and drunk people all around them. “It’s only rumors but I heard that not only did he wrack up a massive debt but that he got a little frisky with one of Kuroo’s personal courtesans.”

He crossed his arms, watching the man walking up to the bar from one of the far booths out of the corner of his eye. There was something about him that was achingly familiar. “That doesn’t add up. Kuroo ’s not the possessive type. As long as his courtesans make him money and come when he calls, he doesn’t mind sharing.”

Shibayama shrugged. “I’m not sure. That’s what I-“

“Excuse me bartender,” called the newcomer, sitting down in the stool next to Nishinoya, his movements fluid and sanguine. “I’d like two glasses of whatever fruity vodka you happen to have.”

“Yes sir,” replied Shibayama, turning to the many shelves behind him, fishing through the lit bottles until he found something that fit the description. “Coconut sound good?”

The newcomer agreed, fishing some bills from his inner vest pocket and laying them on the table. He glanced over at Nishinoya who was eyeing him with a suspicious glare but looked away. “Good evening sir,” the man said, “Having a good night?”

Nishinoya tipped back the rest of his second glass of bourbon before setting it on the table and responding. “Very. And you?”

The bartender set the two glasses of coconut vodka in front of him and took the correct amount of bills. “Keep the change,” the man directed to Shibayama before turning back to Nishinoya, “It has been an interesting night. My friend seems to have fallen asleep at our booth during the dance and I can’t seem to find my other associate. You haven’t seen a man named Oikawa floating around have you?”

Nishinoya almost fell out of his chair and Shibayama’s jaw visibly dropped. Both had to collect their composure but the stranger had already picked up their surprise. Nishinoya cleared his throat and attempted to appear indifferent to the name. “Can’t say I have. Who are you to be looking for a man like him?”

The man cracked his knuckles, stretching enough to just barely show the edge of his tattoo and it was hard to tell if he meant to display it arrogantly to Nishinoya or not. “Just an old friend. It’s not a problem, no need to mention it to him either. A man of his stature doesn’t like to be embarrassed either when he forgets a meeting. Thanks for the liquor.” He nodded towards the bartender. “Have a goodnight gentleman.”

He slid off of his stool and moved back to the booth in the corner, placing a matching glass in front of his sleeping ginger haired partner and shaking his shoulder gently.

“Who the fuck was that?” Nishinoya asked. “Who is he to look for Oikawa?”

“I don’t know. I’ve never seen him before and besides after Kurasuno bought out Sejōh, Oikawa went into hiding-“ Shibayama was then interrupted again by another man who wanted a drink but he didn’t seem special or out of the normal type of patron. When he returned, Nishinoya asked him to catch him up on everything that has happened over the last year.

Kageyama on the other hand smirked knowingly to himself, shaking Hinata awake. Luckily Hinata hadn’t been out long nor had he managed to mess up his combed back hair. He yawned loudly and rubbed his eyes as Kageyama slid the glass of vodka under his nose. “Here drink this,” he ordered, “should wake you up.”

Hinata was still half asleep when he picked up the glass and took a large swig, not thinking of what could be inside and after a few moments he spit the vodka back into the glass. “What the hell is this?”

“Coconut vodka. And didn’t your mother teach you it’s rather rude to spit drinks back into your glass?” Kageyama plopped back into the seat across from Hinata and drank from his glass as if it were nothing more than water.

Hinata took another look around the room, watching as patrons slid their hands up thighs and across breasts under the thin fabric of courtesans kimonos. There was something that peaked Hinata’s interest about this place, how it seemed to welcome all sorts of people and allow them to relax, laugh and drink for the night until dawn called them all back to reality again. But at the same time, Hinata couldn’t help but be disgusted at what he saw, every once in a while a courtesan’s demeanor slip to show just how uncomfortable she was with an elder man’s worn hand sliding under her clothing. He could feel the pleasure mix with the anxiety and it set him on edge.

He took another baby sip of his drink, hating the way it burned on his tongue and down his throat until it rested comfortably warm in his belly. The more he drank, the more the warm feeling grew and the more relaxed he became. His thoughts drifted to his family for the second time that night, considering how his father and sister were doing and in his chest he felt his heart clench. He missed them desperately and looking about the room again, the sight of these women suddenly disgusted him. Many of the courtesans were around his sister’s age, if not a few years older and the idea of her sitting on a man’s lap, whispering loving things and letting his greedy fingers crawl across her body made his stomach lurch into his throat.

With that image in his mind, Hinata suddenly attempted to stand, scaring the crap out of Kageyama who sat scanning the crowd for Oikawa with a slight blush on his cheeks, either from drink or from the women. He quickly turned to Hinata.

“We need to leave,” Hinata stated, already sliding out of his seat and stalking off towards the door. Kageyama glanced at his watch then at Hinata and chased after him. When he got close enough, he yanked on Hinata’s shoulder and pulled him back, voice low as to not attract more attention to themselves then they already had. The bartender and the man Kageyama had talked to earlier wouldn’t look away from where they stood.

“What is your problem?” Kageyama asked in a low and threatening voice, keeping eye contact with the stranger he spoke to earlier until he looked back towards the bartender and continued talking.

“I- I just don’t want to be here any longer. We’ve been waiting for almost an hour, he’s not coming.” Hinata pulled away and started towards the door again, obviously bothered by something Kageyama couldn’t catch and he reached towards him again.

“Hinata!” he called but he didn’t turn around, striding past the two men staring at him at the bar and back out of the building. “Sonnova-“ he had no choice but to follow his collogue back outside the brothel. “Hinata!”

He refused to turn around, hands gripping his shoulders tightly as he stood slightly shaking on the side of the road. Kageyama walked up to him and placed a hand on his shoulder, causing him to nearly jump out of his skin. “What’s going on?” Kageyama asked.

High above them sat a woman shrouded in darkness, her long black hair tied away from her face, glasses atop her head as she looked through her scope at the two men standing outside The Cat’s Paw. She leaned into her shoulder, pushing the button on her headset, causing it to crackle in her ear for a few seconds before she started to speak. “I found them.”

The voice on the other side was deep and very obviously unamused at the whole situation. “Keep an eye on them. When they get back to base, they’re going to receive an ear full.”

“I didn’t know I was hired to be these idiots’ babysitter,” she spat back, scope following the two of them as they began to walk away from the building and a few steps down the street.

“You were out on a mission anyway, consider it an added bonus. Did you find someone to be our tech yet?”

The woman chuckled to herself. “You make it sound like I’m terrible at my job Daichi.”

Daichi gave a laugh that became distorted through the staticky headset. “I understand. Make sure these two morons get home safely tonight and then bring in the new recruit in sometime this week.”

“Sir, there are actually two new recruits I found that might be helpful. One can fill in the tech position but the other is well versed in business communications and psychology. Thought he could be helpful and they seem to be a package.” She pulled back from the scope a moment to brush the loose strand of hair out of her face.

“I bet we can find a position here for him. Ukai has been falling behind recently. Keep up the good work.” The voice cut out, static filling the headset and she leaned back off her shoulder to cut the connection.

“I wish he understood the meaning of goodbye,” she said to herself, looking back through the scope and watching the two newest of Kurasuno’s idiots argue in the street.

“You can’t change the world Hinata, that’s just how it is,” Kageyama said, arms crossed and eyes narrow, refusing to play Hinata’s game.

“And if it was your sister, you would just let that happen to her night after night? Let some random old man bring her to a disgusting room and fuck her?” Hinata was seething with anger, his jaw clenched and hands wrapped into fists at his sides.

“I don’t have a sister.”

“You know what I mean idiot! You’re just going to sit back and just let that happen?”

Kageyama simply shrugged, looking rather done and indifferent to this entire argument. Luckily for the both of them it was so early in the morning that no one walked down the street and everyone stayed nestled in the sinful lull of the brothel. “One of these days Hinata, you’ll learn that the world isn’t all sunshine and rainbows like you want it to be. It’s full of shitty people who do shitty things and live shitty lives and maybe you’ll understand why places like this are important.”

“Stop talking to me like a child. I’m older than you are,” Hinata said through gritted teeth.

Kageyama sighed. “I don’t want to argue with you anymore. Hinata just remember you can’t save the whole world. You simply have to choose what part of it you want to save. We should head back to base now.”

Hinata opened his mouth to make some cruel remark but the brothel door swung open, the sound of the music playing inside growing louder until it faded away again. The man who Kageyama spoke with at the bar stood with his hands on his hips at the top of the two entry stairs with an accomplished look on his face. “There you are! I was looking for you.”

Kageyama and Hinata looked at him skeptically, Hinata’s anger still clear on his face but the man paid no attention to it and eyes stayed locked on Kageyama. “What do you want?” Kageyama asked, hand moving behind his back and tugging the edge of his dress shirt out of his jeans, fingers brushing across the leather of the nunchucks handle hidden there. Hinata thought that must have been uncomfortable to hide his weapon like that but he followed suit and wrapped his fingers around the miniature pocketknife, realizing he would be practically useless in a fight anyway.

“Name’s Yū Nishinoya. Didn’t get to tell you earlier Tobio Kageyama.”

Kageyama’s eyes narrowed as he gripped his nunchucks. “How do you know who I am?” he growled.  


Hinata’s shoulders tightened, mind beginning to wrap around just how much trouble Kageyama could have possibly gotten himself into. _When did he even talk to this dude? _  
__

“Who wouldn’t recognize the face of the heir to Tokyo’s largest conglomerate? I heard your bounty is several pretty yen.” Nishinoya didn’t move from his spot at the top of the stairs, arms crossed like he had already won the battle.

“I renounced my right to the company. There’s nothing I can do for you.”

He burst into overconfident laughter at the top of those little stairs, uncrossing his arms and striding down them towards Kageyama and Hinata, with his hands spread open at his sides and knees slightly bent as if he was ready to strike at any moment. “That’s where you’re wrong. Tell me where I can find Oikawa,” he said, voice shifting into a low growl.

Kageyama’s eyebrows furrowed. “I asked you that. How am I supposed to know?” He watched Nishinoya shift into a subtler fighting stance, his whole body weight shifted to his toes, allowing him to move out of the way during an attack or attack first and from the looks of it, this man had no weapons on him, meaning he was so comfortable in his martial arts he could take on both him and Hinata at the same time. A sinking feeling grew in Kageyama’s stomach.

Hinata felt entirely useless and rather lost, whatever these two were referencing going right over his head and he just stood there, waiting and watching, attempting to figure out who this man was and how this would play out. Something tugged at the back corner of his mind, an aching sense of vague familiarity that he couldn’t decide if it came from a dream or a memory.

His eyes narrowed, taking in the newcomer for really the first time, trying to pick out where he might have seen his face before. This man was a few inches shorter than Hinata himself, which seemed nearly impossible but still true, his spiked hair making him seem taller. This man reminded him of someone from his childhood, someone who he looked up to dearly and with each passing moment it drove him more and more insane that he couldn’t figure out who. Suddenly the Little Giant came to his mind, the smirk similar to that of the stranger’s, hair the same color but not the same style and Hinata swore the Little Giant’s eyes were more of an ash grey than amber brown.

“Because as far as I know, no one has been able to find him for months and then you show up, casually tossing his name around in a rival bar. Something doesn’t add up to me.” The malice on Nishinoya’s face seemed almost palpable and Kageyama tried his best to keep the situation calm. He had no clue what this man was going to do.

“I had age old business to settle with him outside of the yakuza rivalry. That’s all.”

Nishinoya’s lip curled in distaste. “There is no business with an underground boss outside the gang war. That’s not how it works around here. Now tell me where he is or I’ll have to beat the shit out of you.”

Kageyama stood up straight, hand pulling away from the leather of his nunchucks and placing them in the air as a sign of peace. “Look, I have no clue what this is about. I can tell though it doesn’t concern me. I’m not the one you-“

Suddenly Nishinoya lurched forward, grabbing Kageyama’s shoulder roughly and throwing him to the ground before he even knew what hit him. He hit the concrete with a painful thud and scrambled on the ground, attempting to throw punches at Nishinoya and grab his nunchucks from his belt loop painfully pinned under him.

“Kageyama!” Hinata threw himself at Nishinoya, knocking him off and causing them to roll a few times towards the empty street and off the sidewalk. Nishinoya grabbed onto Hinata’s hair tightly, attempting to pull him off and Hinata could feel a few stands leave his head as it was yanked back. He didn’t relinquish his hold on the newcomer though, struggling to keep him on the ground and away from Kageyama. “What is your problem?” Hinata asked through gritted teeth.

Kageyama pulled himself off the ground, yanking his nunchucks out of his jeans and gripped the handle tightly as he moved to help Hinata. The two fought on the ground like starving crows, nails digging into skin, teeth sinking into shoulders, legs attempting to kick. Because of the squabble, Kageyama couldn’t get close enough to Nishinoya to pull him off of Hinata without hurting both of them.

Hinata’s grip slipped when Nishinoya’s teeth sunk into his shoulder, biting hard enough to bleed underneath the fabric and Hinata cried out, grip loosing on his enemy as they continued to roll around in the street. The slip was enough for Nishinoya to get on top of Hinata and raise one hand to punch him in the face, the other supporting his weight.

“Use the knife!” Kageyama yelled, sprinting to where they were tangled on the ground.

Hinata considered his options for a split second and instead of reaching for the knife in his pocket, he raised an arm to protect himself from the force of Nishinoya’s hit, fist sliding off his forearm. Kageyama yelled at him again. “Use the knife you moron!”

Nishinoya began to fight harder, lifting his fist again to hit Hinata once more and that’s when Kageyama lunged forward, wrapping the chain of his nunchuck around Nishinoya’s throat and pulling him to his feet off Hinata.

Nishinoya clutched at the chain digging into his skin, coughs racking his body as his eyes grew wide. He attempted to kick at Kageyama’s legs as he dragged him back but it was no use, Kageyama’s lips turning up into a smirk. “Who do you think you are you little fuck? Going after my associate like that.”

He couldn’t even spit out a reply, trying to claw at anything he could reach but was unsuccessful as Hinata peeled himself off the ground. Hinata opened his mouth to stop Kageyama but was interrupted by someone else running up the middle of the street.

Her heels clacked against the concrete, echoing the loud cock of her gun as she raised it and aimed point blank at Kageyama’s head. Nishinoya’s lips moved to address her but no noise came out and her grey eyes narrowed menacingly. “Let him go.”

Kageyama knew he had been outmatched and let go of one of the handles, causing Nishinoya to fall on his hands and knees to the ground, panting to catch his breath. Hinata looked back and forth between the woman and Kageyama, pistol still pointed at him. “You shrimp, stand over there.”

Hinata wanted to tell her he resented that comment but he kept his mouth shut, lifting his hands defenseless in the air as well and moving to stand next to Kageyama. The woman in black stepped forward, gun still pointed at Kageyama’s face as Nishinoya looked up at her from the ground.

Every step she took caused her black cocktail dress to sway, the long leather strap crossing her chest holding her rifle. Every step she took shifted the slit in her dress, exposing an elegantly tattooed crow in midflight surrounded by cherry petals. Kageyama sent a sideways glance to Hinata and Hinata nodded back, both realizing the truth at the same time.

They lowered their hands when she lowered her pistol and replaced it in its holster, leaning down to look at Nishinoya but making no move to help him stand. He stayed on all fours, looking up at her. “Kiyoko, you came for me,” he croaked, voice hoarse.

“I came for these two morons actually. You’re just an added bonus,” she said as she stood and made eye contact with the new recruits. “Kageyama and Hinata, I hope you two realize how much trouble you’re in.”

“Ho- how do you know who we are?” Hinata asked, head cocked slightly to the side in confusion.

“Guess Daichi hasn’t told you about me. Kiyoko Shimizu, head sniper of the Kurasuno Company and in charge of new recruits. Most men have to come through me to join but you two are a special case.” She didn’t bow, nor extend her hand for a handshake, only looked exhausted and rather done with everyone’s fighting. She checked the thin watch on her wrist, noting the hour. “I don’t see why you men have to solve everything with violence. This is a company, not a playpin for barbarians.”

Nishinoya stood, groaning a little, his hair clinging to his face and shirt covered in dust from the fight. A cut above his right eyebrow was bleeding and he dabbed the blood off with his sleeve. “Kiyoko, you mean these two are part of Kurasuno?”

She nodded. “A lot of things have happened Noya. I hope you’ve learned your lesson while you were locked up.”

Noya reached for her, grabbing her arm and nodding vigorously. “Yes my lovely. I thought about you everyday, counting the days until I could see your beautiful face once more.”

Kiyoko clicked her tongue and pulled her hand abruptly, rubbing it on the fabric of her dress. “I’m seeing someone.”

The look on Nishinoya’s face was priceless as the hope drained from his eyes and his jaw dropped. He stood there silently in a state of shock until Kageyama spoke up. “So you’re from Kurasuno but who the hell is this asshole?” He gestured to Noya.

Both Noya and Kiyoko turned to them, forgetting Hinata and Kageyama had been standing there all along. “I told you once before. I am Yū Nishinoya and I am a member of Kurasuno.”

He pulled back his bloodied sleeve to reveal Tanaka’s age-old handiwork and Kiyoko followed suit, showing them the inside of the wrist with her watch, both donning nearly identical fly tattoos. Kageyama followed suit, rolling up his dress shirtsleeve to show his and Hinata hastily showed his as well, wincing in pain when he brushed it because it was still fresh. “Well shit,” Noya said, running a hand across the back of his neck. “This is awkward.”

“This is _awkward. _That’s all you have to say?” Hinata asked, fed up with how shitty the entire night had gone.  
__

Noya gave a deep bow in apology, surprising the other three gang members. “I sincerely apologize. I mistook the two of you for people you are not and attacked you without warrant.”

Kageyama and Hinata looked at each other suspiciously. “Why were you looking for Oikawa?” Hinata asked.

Noya stood up straight, face suddenly serious and eyes flickering like the wick of a firework before it explodes. “Oikawa killed someone really important to me.”

Kiyoko suddenly stepped forward, placing a thin hand on Nishinoya’s dirty shoulder and it took all of his willpower not to lean into it. “Noya, you mean…”

“Oikawa killed the Little Giant.”


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chapter took me so long to get out guys. College has picked back up and is utterly exhausting. Regardless here it is! Please leave a comment and tell me what you think! It means the world to me.

“I’m sorry Hinata but this has nothing to do with you. Either wait out here or somewhere else,” Suga said, face shown only through a crack in Daichi’s office door. He looked exhausted and slightly relieved, not because Hinata and Kageyama had returned safely but because Noya had practically come back from the dead.  


“But-“ Hinata stared, raising a hand to press against the door.  


The door slammed shut on him anyway, hand still against the wood and words caught in the middle of his throat. He made a frustrated noise and Kageyama rolled his eyes.  


“What did you expect,” he said, “Kurasuno has been around a long longer than you’ve been here. We are at the bottom of the food chain. They’re not going to tell us things that don’t concern us.”  


Hinata crossed him arms angrily and pouted like a tiny child. “You don’t understand Kageyama…”  


“You’re right. I don’t understand why you like to stick your nose in everyone’s business,” Kageyama replied, turning to walk back down the hall as he yawned. It was nearly four in the morning and Daichi had already torn into the both of them. You could have gotten killed, he said. My biggest asset dead on the street. Then what would we have done. Kageyama’s upper lip curled.  


“No,” Hinata said in a defeated and quiet voice. “He saved me once.”

***  
That day hadn’t started any different than the rest all those years ago, the air still harboring the same oceanic scent it always had, the sand still coarse and cool under smaller toes, the sunrays still gently falling through the sky to kiss his tanning skin.  


Hinata had recently turned twelve, the leftover birthday cake his father had made him still in the fridge, waiting for him to get home after working at the docks to be eaten. He wildly ran up and down the beach as he did every morning, relishing the feeling it gave him that he had no name for until he was older. The ocean and the beach, the sunrise and the cawing birds. All Hinata’s own special version of freedom.  


“Shōyō! Hurry up!” his father called from inside their fishing boat. Over the years it hadn’t changed much, maybe a little less paint on the hull a little lighter from sun bleaching, but it was still the same rickety boat it always had been.  


“Coming Dad!” Hinata called from the sand, leaning down to pick up the sandals he had so carelessly tossed. When he turned towards the street something caught his eye, a group of people arguing on the sidewalk with one another, but no one stopped to acknowledge the strange group, only passed them if they were in the way. Hinata noticed himself staring but he couldn’t pull away, fascinated by the way the men carried themselves until one with jet-black hair turned slightly and eyed Hinata. He swallowed and ran to catch up with his father in their fishing boat.  


“Took you long enough son. Thought you might have been kidnapped,” his father teased, shifting through the bait box and checking to make sure everything they needed was there. He had cursed under his breath and slammed the lid shut.  


Hinata looked at him surprised, having jumped at the sound of the lid slamming. “What is it Dad?”  


He then slid one hand in his pocket and fished out his wallet, pulling out a few crumpled bills and had handed them to him son. “I forgot some water for us to drink. Could you run to the convince store and grab a few bottles?” His father pointed to the little store only a few doors away from where that crowd had gathered.  


Not the child to be asked twice to do a favor for someone else, Hinata had ran back down the beach, the few bills crinkled in his hand, towards the store and didn’t stop to consider the men standing down the road. After opening the door to the store, he made eye contact with the same stranger who had glared at him earlier and it made Hinata’s skin crawl uncomfortably.  


Thinking back now, this is when the story always blurred in Hinata’s mind. He remembered getting the water for his father, the image of the cool plastic sweating as he carried it back down the street. He remembered a shoulder pushing roughly past him, nearly causing him to tumble onto the concrete as the person ran, something shinny in their hand. Several people had pressed past him after that, one grabbing him roughly by his shirt collar and yanking him to his feet, the water bottles falling out of his arms.  


He was dragged along for some time, fighting, kicking and screaming the entire way to wherever his captor was attempting to take him. They had ended up in an alley, Hinata pushed behind the stranger as he looked up and down the street they had come off of for something. “Quiet kid. They might come after you.”  


Hinata had wanted to interject, wanted to fight and escape the stranger like he had been taught to do at a young age but something stopped him. His captor must have been near his age, no older than fifteen or so, crow black hair sticking up wildly in all directions as if it hadn’t been brushed in a very long time and a dark smear of ink poking out from the edge of his black t-shirt collar along the back of his neck. His turned finally, eyes the color of dying embers meeting Hinata’s sunlit ones. A charismatic smile lit up the man’s features. “You could have gotten yourself beaten up Shrimpie, getting in the middle of a fight like that.”  


“I’m not a shrimp!” Hinata had argued, standing a little straighter, placing one small hand on each hip.  


The stranger let out a low laugh. “You’re full of piss and vinegar aren’t you?” He had squatted down in front of Hinata, elbows resting on the inside of his knees as he smiled again. “See I think you’re pretty short.”  


Hinata had stuck out his tongue in defiance and every time he remembered that moment over the following years, it made him laugh at his own carefreeness in the face of danger.  


“They call me the Little Giant. What’s your name?”  


Hinata had looked him up and down; squinting angrily but finally gave in. “Shōyō Hinata.”  


“Well Shōyō, it’s nice to meet you. Since we’re friends I can call you that right?” The Little Giant had asked as he stuck out a hand, his kanji tattoo an uncovered piece of art of his wrist. It was as if he was used to flaunting it, refusing to care if anyone had seen it or knew who he was. He was a beacon for danger and he wore the title with absolute pride.  


Tentatively, Hinata took the Little Giant’s hand, larger fingers enveloping Hinata’s tiny hand completely as his eyes drifted towards the tattoo. “Is that real?”  


The Little Giant had looked to his wrist confused, taking a moment to realize what he had meant. “It’s my little crow tattoo.”  


Hinata didn’t let go of his hand; intently staring at the risen mark painted on his skin and the Little Giant had let him, not minding the wanderlust and curiosity the child harbored. He remembered being like that once and wished for it to come back to him.  


Gently, Hinata had traced the curves, fascinated with the way it felt under his fingers and he noticed the Little Giant’s arm quivered under the touch but he didn’t stop. “My dad told me that only yakuza have tattoos and I shouldn’t talk to them.”  


The corner of the Little Giant’s mouth curled and he had raised one finger to his lips. “Shh. Don’t tell anyone my secret okay Shōyō? Friends don’t share friends’ secrets.”  


Hinata’s jaw dropped, whole body beginning to shake with excited energy. “You’re a yakuza? That’s so cool.”  


The Little Giant pulled his hand back from Hinata’s grip and stood suddenly, looking over his shoulder at passersby. He had turned and looked up and down the street one more time while Hinata practically bounced on the balls of his feet, fists clenched at his sides. “Looks like the coast is clear Shrimpie. We should take you home.”  


Hinata’s excitement melted off his face. “No. I want to hang out with you some more. I heard you guys have really pretty tattoos and guns and you beat up people. My dad says yakuza are dangerous but I think they’re cool. Like ninjas or-“  


The Little Giant had placed one hand on Hinata’s hair and ruffled it, causing him to look up with surprise and amazement in his eyes. “I think we’re pretty cool, but we can’t hang out. I have a super secret mission I’m on and I need to get back to work.”  


Hinata had gasped. “Super secret mission!? Okay okay. You can take me home but you have to come back and tell me about your mission okay?”  


There was something about Shōyō that warmed the Little Giant’s heart, maybe it was his smile or the way he was purely fascinated with everything. Or maybe it was the kid’s damn eyes, how they glittered like the effervescent summer sun. He gave a little sigh. “I promise. Now tell me how to get you home.”

***  


Nishinoya wandered through the place he had called home for the last ten years of his life, the hallways dimmed and silent as everyone else slept soundly. Daichi had ordered him to rest and he truly tried, but no matter how long he lay in his old bed, the smell of dust and his old cologne rising from it, the less he could sleep. The fabric was too soft under his skin, the room too large with too many shifting shadows and his mind began to grow wild with anxiety. He cursed silently at himself, the leftover bourbon hidden in his room not helping his insomnia like he thought it would. He realized that maybe he shouldn’t have finished off the rest of the bottle.  


His body slinked along like a disappearing ghost, bags dark and wide under his eyes, shoulders slumped forward in utter exhaustion, but his mind refused to stop thinking. It wouldn’t stop processing even though he really wished otherwise, so he followed it to wherever it wanted to take him. Now he stood in front of a closed door to a room he knew better than any other, Asahi’s.  


For a moment he stood there conflicted, debating on whether he should really wake Asahi up at this hour when he usually slept until the midmorning anyway. Nishinoya crossed his arms and hunched a little more forward, wondering what Asahi would say if he just burst in the room. Would he be excited to see him or would he be scolded for being so stupid and impulsive?  


The corner of Nishinoya’s mouth curled thinking about the image of Asahi rolling over at the sound of the door gently opening and closing, soft mutterings coming from his mouth as he sleepily waved Noya away. Nishinoya would kneel beside him; maybe run his fingers through Asahi’s lose long hair, maybe kiss his forehead or maybe just sit there smiling until Asahi woke up enough to realize just who came in his room and pull Noya into bed with him. _That would be the dream wouldn’t it, _he thought to himself.  
__

__Nishinoya gently rapped on Asahi’s bedroom door and paused to listen. After there was no response from the other side, he gently knocked again and eventually decided to slide into the room anyway. He slipped through the door he cracked open, moving towards Asahi’s bed with practiced ease in the dim lighting and softly called his name. “Asahi…”  
_ _

__Nothing greeted him but silence as he continued to move about the room and when his eyes finally focused in the darkness he swallowed roughly. Asahi’s bed was empty. Not even warm and covered in a thin layer of dust.  
_ _

__Nishinoya pulled back surprised and hurried back out of the room. If his mind wasn’t racing before it was now, hands shaking so hard he clenched them into fists. He attempted to rationalize Asahi’s absence. _Could have just fallen asleep in the infirmary. He had the habit of doing that. Could be out on a short mission. Daichi didn’t mention one. _  
___ _

___He turned the corner sharply, grabbing the wall for leverage as he stalked further down the hallway, his body growing more and more anxious with every turn. When he finally reached the infirmary no one was inside either and the lights were completely off, even Asahi’s small UV light for his plants in the corner. Nishinoya stepped towards them and kneeled down, fingers brushing dry and dead leaves, watching as they crumbled and fell to the ground at his feet.  
_ _ _

___He ground his teeth; jaw clenched as he picked up one pot and threw it against opposite wall in the darkness, watching the pieces of shattered clay and dirt slide down its side. He was about to pick up another one until he noticed a small piece of paper where the previous pot had been. Curious, Nishinoya picked it up and opened it, eyes scanning over the poorly scribbled words written in black ink across its surface._ _ _

_____ _

_Noya,_  
_Not sure you’ll even find this when you get back but figured you should know. I’m leaving Kurasuno. I won’t be here when you get out and I’m not coming back. Take care of my plants for me will you? _  
_~Asahi _____

____

____

Nishinoya read it over and over again, taking in every sharp edge and curve of Asahi’s handwriting as if he was taking it all in for the first time. The longer he stared, the less he could see, his vision blurring words together as his body began to shake worse than before. The paper became a ball in his hand as he picked up another pot and smashed it against the tile, letting out a low cry.

 

Tanaka’s mouth hung wide-open, tongue pushed out barely past his teeth as his chest rocked with his deep snores. The blanket laid crumpled under his spread out body, one arm reaching towards the floor and his legs bent at uncomfortable angles to anyone else but Tanka. A crash resounded from down the hallway causing him to stir, prompting him to roll over and mutter something under his breath. Another loud bang followed it and after the third one Tanaka sat up abruptly in bed, looking wildly about the room for any sign of an invader. The loud crashes continued and Tanka cursed to himself under his breath. “Sonnova… One night of decent sleep. All I want.”  


He pulled himself loose from his blanketed cocoon and slid out of his futon, nearly falling to the floor in the exhausted process. After shifting around in the darkness for a few moments to find a pair of pants to put over his boxers and the long hunting knife he kept hidden in his drawer of contraband Playboy magazines, he slid silently out into the dimly lit hallway. The crashes had temporarily subsided but he still crept forward, shoulders hunched and knife poised in front of him. “I’m not getting paid enough for this,” he muttered to himself.  


Suddenly another loud shattering noise came from the open door of the infirmary and Tanaka burst into a sprint down the hall, having to grab the doorframe to stop himself. He peered inside, upper lip curled and ready for a fight.  


Nishinoya had went on a rampage inside the infirmary, everything tipped over or shattered or torn. Blankets off the beds scattered the floor in piles, cabinets thrown open, shards of clay covered in bone-dry dirt interspersed between them all. Nishinoya sat with his back to the corner, face buried in his knees.  


A heavy sigh escaped Tanka’s lips and he stepped towards him, each step achingly slow and deliberate, as if Nishinoya was nothing more than a terrified animal that would attack if startled. The knife stayed pointed towards the floor. “Noya…”  


His head shot up, eyes blood red from a mix of alcohol and utter exhaustion, tears streaking his cheeks. He threw his head back between his knees. “Go away.”  
Tanaka stopped a foot away from Noya, sitting cross-legged on the floor and placing the blade on the ground next to his knee. He said nothing, only stared with the calm concentration of a Buddhist monk, waiting for Noya to speak up again.  


“ _Go away! _” Nishinoya yelled into the hiding place he had made for himself with his body. “I don’t want you to see me like this.”  
__

__A low hum came from Tanaka’s throat. “Nishinoya, we’ve watched people die together. We’ve drank together, seduced woman together, cried together. I’m not going anywhere.”  
_ _

__Nishinoya wiped his eyes and nose on his shirtsleeve in one gross smear but Tanaka didn’t acknowledge it. He sniffled a little before speaking again. “Okay… okay.”  
_ _

__Tanaka’s shoulders relaxed, his cold stone stubbornness melting into the worry that harbored in his heart. “They didn’t tell me you were back yet. Honestly, I was worried you might never come back.”  
_ _

__Noya lifted his head from the crook of his arm and met Tanaka’s steadfast gaze. “I was released this morning. Bumped into the two new idiots in a bar.”  
_ _

__He watched as the shaking in Noya’s body slowly subsided, one hand still clenched around something that Tanaka couldn’t quite make out. A slight smirk played on Tanaka’s lips. “Kageyama and Hinata got themselves into trouble again didn’t they?”  
_ _

__“Again? Daichi laid into their asses as soon as they got into the building with that father voice of his. ‘I told you not to go on unauthorized missions, you could have gotten hurt.” Noya’s voice deepened as he attempted to impersonate Daichi, his whole body uncurling from the tight ball he hid himself in. The impression caused both men to laugh.  
_ _

__Tanaka instinctively reached into his pocket, the familiar itch tugging the back of his mind for the sweet bite of tobacco but all he was met with was a pocket filled with air. “Shit,” he muttered to himself before looking back up at Noya. “Don’t happen to have a smoke do ya?”  
_ _

__Finally Noya smiled, placing whatever was crumpled in his hand on the floor and leaning back against the wall to fish something out of his pocket. Tanaka tried to make it out in the darkness of the room. A piece of paper with Noya’s name written on it. Asahi.  
_ _

__Noya pulled out a small thin silver case from his pocket, flicking the lid open to show his last three cigarettes and jerked it towards Tanaka so he could grab one. With a cigarette placed between his own lips, Noya flicked his lighter causing the flame to burst in the darkness and he inhaled deeply. Tanaka took the lighter and lit his with practiced ease. “Glad the bastards didn’t take this. I had to almost get into another fight to keep it.”  
_ _

__Tanaka chuckled. “It’s been too long Noya.”  
_ _

__“Too long,” he agreed, taking another deep inhale and relishing in the way the bite of tobacco filled his tired lungs and how the smoke curled in the darkness when he let it back out. They sat like that for a peaceful and quiet moment, watching as the end of each other’s cigarettes burned like dying stars and crumbled to ashes on the floor.  
_ _

__The silence was broken by Tanaka clearing his throat, the cigarette still burning between his fingertips as he shifted, placing one wrist on his knee and the other hand stretched out behind him. He titled his chin towards the crumpled note that lay temporarily forgotten on the floor. “They didn’t tell you, did they?”  
_ _

__Noya followed his gaze and suddenly understood what he implied. He looked away. “No one told me anything. My first night I come back and am greeted with a fucking piece of paper that says ‘water my plants.’ No apology, no face to face explanation, no warning. Nothing.” He took another deep inhale of the last little bit of his cigarette, attempting to hold back the tears pricking his eyes and the tight clench of his throat.  
_ _

__“I’ll admit. That was a pretty dick move. Asahi did talk to me about coming to visit you in prison though he never mustered the courage to go and tell you it to your face that he was leaving for good.”  
_ _

__“What right does he think he has to run away? None of us can, not anymore.” A fragile couple tears trickled down Noya’s cheek and he clenched his fists. He wanted to pick up another pot, smash it to the ground and scream but sadly for him there were no more pots and he was too exhausted to even move.  
_ _

__Tanaka pinched the end of his cigarette to put it out and tossed it carelessly on the floor near his knife. He gave a little sigh and slid to sit next to Noya who turned from him and reburied his face in the crook of his own arm. His weight shifted when Tanaka wrapped an arm around him and pulled him a little closer. “Hey… hey. No need for the tears okay? We can convince Asahi to come back.”  
_ _

__Noya shrugged under Tanaka’s touch. “It’s not just that.”  
_ _

__Tanaka hummed in question.  
_ _

__“It’s my fault the Little Giant died. My fault Asahi left. He’s not going to want to see me.”  
_ _

__Tanaka shook Noya’s shoulder a little, causing the other man to rock slightly. “You know what you’re saying is bullshit right? Asahi left because he blamed himself for the Littlie Giant’s death as much as you do.”  
_ _

__“Dumbass,” Noya said in a low voice, eyebrows furrowed. He finally gave up resisting Tanaka’s touch and leaned into him in an exhausted heap. “It was never his fault.”  
_ _

__“It was never anyone’s fault,” assured Tanaka, “except for the bastard that fired the bullet. We still haven’t found who did it.”  
_ _

__Noya opened his mouth like he wanted to say something but closed it again, eyes half closed. “I… I wouldn’t worry about that much longer. I know who did it.”_ _

____

***  


The bitter scent of fried beef mixing in with rice wafted down the hallway, making anyone who smelled it stomach grumble sometime after the sun had risen. It caused Hinata to stir in his sleep; body sprawled across his futon like a marionette whose strings were cut loose. His head lolled back and forth, mumbling random words to his father until he jolted upright.  


Every bone in his body grumbled in fatigue, urging him to lie back down a little longer, go back to the peaceful seaside dream he was having as he pulled himself from his soft blankets. Hinata swore, while his body cracked and creaked as he got dressed, that he could still taste the seawater on his lips. Having pulled on the same hoodie he was kidnapped in over his body and not changing out of his dark green pajama pants, Hinata stalked down the hallway towards the scent, a lap dog gravitating towards his next meal.  


The smell of breakfast lead him to the dinning room, door wide open with Noya sitting at the table with the same clothes he wore yesterday and sipping something out of a mug. He looked like hell, pieces of hair stuck up in random directions, the rest flat against his forehead. Thick, dark bags underlined his eyes as if he hadn’t slept well since last week and he seem to curl in on himself, taking up as little space as possible. There was something about Noya that called to Hinata, forcing him to not look away, as if he was staring at the aftermath of a forest fire.  


Nishinoya looked up from his mug and caught Hinata’s eye, taking him off guard momentarily. “Hinata right?”  


Every muscle in Hinata’s body went stiff, suddenly more awake than he had been before. This man knows the Little Giant, he thought. He gave a deep half bow and stuttered out his name. “Yeah, Sh-Shōyō Hinata.”  


“Don’t just stand there, come in. Breakfast’s almost ready,” said Tanaka as his head popped around from the kitchen corner.  


Hinata swallowed roughly and walked in, choosing to sit down directly across from Noya who proceeded to eye him up and down and then go back to his mug. From the smell Hinata guessed it was some sort of green tea. He cleared his throat, making Noya’s gaze shoot back up. “You know the Little Giant right?” Hinata asked, voice quiet.  


“Knew. He was killed in an accident last year,” Noya answered bluntly, composure still as collected as before but Hinata noticed his fingers flutter against the mug.  


“I know- knew him too. He saved my life as a child. I was hoping I could thank him one day.”  


It was then Tanaka wandered out of the kitchen with two large bowls in his hand and he set one before both men sitting at the table, beef slices intermixing with rice and various vegetables Hinata wasn’t sure what they were. To him the rice looked a tad too soggy and awfully dark for brown rice, but he knew better than to refuse a meal generously cooked for him, so he thanked Tanaka anyway.  


“So you’re the kid the Little Giant always talked about,” Tanaka interrupted. He moved back into the kitchen to grab himself a bowl of rice and a mug of green tea for Hinata, which he placed in front of him.  


“Kid?” Hinata asked as he took a bite of his rice. His face contorted as he chewed and swallowed. Tanaka and Noya didn’t seem to notice his repulsion to the overwhelming taste of soy sauce and some other bitter spice Hinata couldn’t quite place as they happily continued to eat whatever weird meal Tanaka made.  


Noya explained after he took another swig of his tea. “L.G. believed there was always something good to find in people, that our job here was necessary. Whenever someone needed convincing that we were doing the right thing, he told a story about a little boy he saved in Enoshima and how much that child admired him. I see you got dragged into joining us anyway.”  


Tanaka chuckled. “I doubt L.G would regret his decision even if he knew Hinata joined us.”  


Noya’s eyes narrowed but he said nothing as he continued to shovel rice and beef into his mouth.  


“How was he killed?” Hinata asked, looking down into the swirling tealeaves at the bottom of the mug gripped tight between his hands.  


The only thing that answered him was silence for several moments, causing his skin to crawl and Hinata began to wonder if he had seriously messed up before Noya finally responded. “The three of us went to investigate Nekoma and a skirmish broke out. The Little Giant was shot in the chest and there was nothing any of us could do. Not even our medic could save him.”  


The tension in the dinning room became almost palpable. Hinata opened his mouth as if he was going to say something and closed it again, staring intently down at his barely touched breakfast. His fingers quivered against the porcelain side of his mug.  


“This isn’t a job to admire kid,” Tanaka said, “Only the people who have no other option join yakuza. You had a whole life you just threw away.”  


“The Little Giant protected me without thinking of himself. I joined so I could do that for my family,” Hinata shot back, lifting his head up to make eye contact with a rather laid back Tanaka who was finishing the last of his meal. Hinata gripped the mug tighter between his hands, knuckles turning white under skin. “I thought Kurasuno didn’t have a medic. Suga reminds Kageyama and I to not do anything stupid every time we go out so we don’t get hurt.”  


“Mom can get a little overprotective,” Noya bit back. Suddenly he stood, leaving an empty mug and bowl on the table and hurried out the door. “I need to shower,” he shot over his shoulder before disappearing.  


“What’s his deal?” asked Hinata. “Is everyone as pissy as Kageyama around here?”  


Tanaka sighed and rubbed his forehead with the palm of his hand roughly, closing his eyes. “You remind me of a little dog Hinata. You never shut your yap. Ever.”  


"You wouldn’t have this problem if I was given answers,” Hinata bit back.  


Tanaka opened his grey eyes, annoyance flickering behind them like a dry lightning storm. “Asahi Azumane was our old medic and Noya’s closest friend before L.G. was killed. After Noya went to prison for public disturbance, Asahi couldn’t handle the guilt of not being able to save L.G. and allowing Noya to be arrested, so he left Kurasuno and went back to his family’s clinic. He left without saying goodbye so don’t bring up his name in conversation. It’s still an open wound for everyone, especially Noya.”  


“I can’t imagine what that’s like. To come back after being gone a year and everyone you cared about is gone…”  


“Not everyone,” Tanaka said as he leaned back and shifted through his pockets for his crumbled pack of cigarettes. He pulled them out and shifted through the pack, tossing the bent and broken ones onto the dinning table. “Damn it. And there are more people who care about him than he thinks.”  


Hinata stared at the tobacco leaves coming out of the cigarette casing. “And no one thought to try and bring Asahi back?”  


Tanaka shrugged, placing the only unbroken cigarette between his lips and lighting it with a deep inhale. He blew the smoke away from Hinata. “Daichi attempted, but what good is a doctor who believes he can’t save lives?”  


“So you’re going to abandon him?” Hinata asked, eyes narrowing.  


“You can’t force a man to do something he doesn’t want to do. Even if your intentions are good.” His eyes glanced toward Hinata’s rather untouched meal. “You done?”  


Hinata nodded and handed Tanaka his bowl. He carried it back to the kitchen with the rest of the dishes and Hinata could hear the water running from the faucet. “Don’t worry about it okay? It doesn’t concern-” Tanaka began as he peered around the corner but Hinata had already vanished. “Damn kid.”

***  


“Get up.”  


Something whacked Kageyama’s side, causing him to groan and roll over, his eyes refusing to open for anything. His mouth opened and closed a few time sleepily before he nuzzled his face back into his blanket.  


“We have a mission. Get up Kageyama.”  


Again something hit his side but he attempted to ignore it until it hit him for a third time and he bolted up in bed, ready to attack.  


A few steps from his bed stood a rather serious looking Hinata with Kageyama’s pillow clutched in hand, the light from the hallway bright and blinding behind him. Kageyama groaned, throwing himself back unto his futon. “Get out.”  


The pillow came crashing down again and Kageyama caught it before it hit his body, yanking it out of Hinata’s grip. “I need your help with something,” Hinata said, crossing his arms.  


Kageyama shifted in bed, putting the pillow back under his head in a crumpled pile. “Fuck off. I’m trying to sleep.”  


Hinata gave an exaggerated groan and attempted to pull the blanket out from Kageyama’s body. “It’s three in the afternoon! You’ve slept long enough you asshole.”  


It was then Kageyama finally sat up, surrendering to the idea that his sleep was tragically over and glared up at Hinata. Kageyama’s hair stood up in all directions from his tossing and turning, a seam line from his blanket having left an impression along the side of his cheek. It took all of Hinata’s self control to not burst out laughing. “What do you want?”  


“All I need you to do is come with me. I’ll explain on the way.”  


“I’m sure you could go on your own and be perfectly fine.”  


Hinata stepped towards the edge of the futon. “Daichi says if you don’t go, he’ll revoke the deal.”  


Kageyama’s dark eyes narrowed threateningly. “ _Bullshit. _”  
__

__A hum came from Hinata’s throat as he shrugged carelessly. “Your loss if you don’t believe me.”  
_ _

__Kageyama rolled his shoulders a few times and moved to stand in front of Hinata. He had fallen asleep without a shirt, clad only in a thin pair of silk pajama pants and Hinata couldn’t help but stare at the expanse of pale skin in front of him. The way his ribs seemed all too prominent under tight, leathery skin. How each breath he took was too shallow, barely visible. After a few tense and silent moments, Kageyama cleared his throat and Hinata’s gaze snapped up. “I don’t know what Daichi told you but keep your mouth shut or there’ll be nothing left of you to say anything. Understand?”  
_ _

__Hinata nodded, trying to mask his concern for Kageyama’s health under a smirk.  
_ _

__“Get out so I can get dressed.”_ _


End file.
